My Heart Will Go On
by hungryhippo1000
Summary: While travelling home from Johto on Cruise Dragonair, May reunites with her rival, Drew. Life changing events lead to love, loss, and learning. Based off 'Titanic'. Contestshipping & Festivalshipping. Read&Review!
1. The shock of seeing Mr Rose

**Hungryhippo1000: **So this is just a random FF idea I thought of while watching trailers for Titanic 3D. I've always loved that movie, though it brings tears every time :'). It's sad to know that there were actual people, many people, who died because of the sinking of the Titanic. My first Pokémon FF. I don't own Pokémon, nor do I own titanic. Just this story. :) enjoy.

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><p><strong>May Pov.<strong>

The cool wind brushed against my face, causing my chocolate brown hair to flow all over the place. I smiled as I watched the _Dragonair _depart from the dock, which was filled with cheering people waving goodbye to their family and friends.

The _Dragonair _was the largest cruise connecting the Johto region to the Hoenn region, perfect for someone like myself. It had many floors, each filled with shops, entertainment, rooms (for staying in), Pokémon centres, and restaurants and much more. I had a feeling most of my time would be spent drooling in restaurants.

Enjoying the sights of the sparkling waters reflecting the fiery colours of the sunset were my Pokémon. While most were sleeping, my best friend and partner Blaziken stood next to me. Although I knew that all my Pokémon were going to enjoy returning to Petalburg, I knew Blaziken would the most. Technically it was his hometown, too.

"Excuse me, miss. Though the sunset is quite a beautiful site to see, it would be appreciated if you admire it another time," a staff on the _Dragonair_ told me, his growlithe at his side ready for action. "I'm sorry, miss. The captain says we'll be headed for a foggy area and that all passengers are required to go inside for the time being."

I nodded and did as he said. I didn't mind at all; I knew we had plenty more days till the cruise actually arrived in Hoenn. I pulled on Blaziken's arm after returning the others into their pokeballs. "Come on, Blaziken. It wouldn't hurt to find our room and grab something to eat, would it?"

We found our room at the end of a narrow hall. Simple, the way I liked it. It was a one bedroom suite with one bed, one sofa-bed, a TV, and other necessities. After unpacking and having a quick snack, I made my way towards the Pokémon centre, where I could give my Pokémon a chance to heal and relax.

"...Alright then. Come back in an hour to pick up your Blaziken, Venusaur, Glaceon, Wartortle, Beautifly and Munchlax," Nurse Joy said sweetly. Though I had absolutely no problem with them, I always wondered if they had to be the same. You could never just say something like "Hey! I remember you from..." because they were all identical. "We'll have them feeling nice and healthy by the time you arrive."

After thanking her, I turned around and walked right into somebody's chest. From the impact, we both fell right onto our butts. As I made sure everything I had on me was okay, I said, "I'm so sorry for hitting you, really! I didn't think there was anybody behind me, and I was so-"

"May?" _That voice. _My heart stopped beating, and all I could do was whip my head to face him. His emerald green eyes were playful, a snarky smirk on his face. "Of course it would be you, May. Nobody else would be _that _clumsy and make both herself and an innocent, Top Coordinator fall."

"Hi to you too, Mr. Rose," I huffed, as he helped me up off the floor. The last time I had seen him was two years ago, back when we were both 16 year old coordinators. There wasn't much of a difference from before other than the fact that he was now a whole head taller than me. He was still that immature brat who couldn't do anything but make my life a living hell. "So, what are _you _doing?"

"Well if you were too dense to notice, I am currently helping you up, dimwit," I snarled at him and he returned it mockingly. It amazed me how much we _hadn't _grown. We were still 10 years old in 18 year old bodies. "I'm kidding May. Quite being such a snubble. I'm here, on the _Dragonair_, because I'm visiting family back in Hoenn. I'm from LaRousse City, remember? Well... I guess you wouldn't remember. I expect your knowledge of the world limited."

I growled, only getting a laugh out of him. _Oh great, this is going to be a blast._

* * *

><p><strong>Drew Pov.<strong>

When I bought a ticket to go on the _Dragonair, _I wasn't expecting to see May. Not at all. I was _hoping _to see her when I passed Petalburg when going to LaRousse, but I definitely wasn't expecting to see her on the cruise. That's why when May crashed into me at the Pokémon Centre, I didn't know what to think. I had to blink a few times to make sure who I wasn't delusional. She was freaking out, apologizing for knocking me over.

"May?" She froze, and her facial expression was hilarious. Her azure eyes were wide, and her mouth was dropped open so big, I could've shoved a pinap berry in her mouth. She _almost _looked like a grimer. I couldn't help but give her a snide comment. May's face was red up to the roots of her hair.

After asking Nurse Joy to care for my Pokémon, May and I decided we ought to do something to kill some time. She didn't seem to notice, but I caught a few strangers glancing at us. I even heard one girl whisper to her friend, "Aren't they those coordinators, May and Mr. Sexy Drew? Are they dating?"

I winked at her, and she hurried to change to the topic. May, noticing I had winked at the girl, raised an eyebrow at me. _I am enjoying this way too much._

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><p><strong>May Pov.<strong>

"Oh come on Drew. Can we _please _go eat first? You know you want to check at _Milktank Milkshake Hut_, or _Groudon's Hot Pot!_" Drew and I had been arguing about what to do during our time waiting for our Pokémon to rest up. Like the usual, bribery was not in my favour. "Who wants to go to some arcade when we can eat and maintain our health? Wait... Why am I even here with you?"

"Really May? The _Milktank Milkshake Hut_? I liked going to that franchise when I was 8, not 18." He obviously thought this whole thing was hilarious, which angered me more. He laughed. "And if you don't want to hang out with me, nobody's forcing you to."

And on it went. Drew and I, bickering on the _Dragonair. _It annoyed me to know it was always me turning beet red, ready to scream in frustration. I didn't even know why I bothered with him. He drove me insane.

But I wasn't sure if that was a good thing or a bad thing.

_Guess I'll have to find out. _

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><p>YAAAAY! First Pokémon fanfiction (that I had the guts to publish) :)! I won't be updating on a set pattern, due to being busy &amp; writing another fanfiction at the same time. However, my goal is to finish this by April 15th. It's the sinking of the Titanic's 100th Anniversary. Though I don't personally know any people affected by the tragic event, I still want to dedicate this to those who died and suffered.<p>

Leave me a review :).

P.S. - Should I bring in Harley and Solidad?


	2. Together Again

**May Pov.**

"You need to care more for your Pokémon, May. Especially since you're a Pokémon coordinator," Nurse Joy lectured me while handing me my pokeballs. We were two hours past the time we were supposed to pick up our Pokémon from the Pokémon centre. "You as well, Drew. Neither of you have any reason to be _this _late. Your Pokémon were waiting for you." We gave her our apologies, but she waved us off. "Don't say sorry to me. Be sorry for your Pokémon. Now off you go, I have more Pokémon to care for!"

My earlier chipper mood was nowhere to be found due to its replacement, annoyance. Harshly shoving the pokeballs into my bag as we walked away from the Pokémon centre, I grumbled, "If we didn't go to that stupid flower shop...your entire fault..."

I saw Drew roll his eyes. His calm demeanour, next to my fuming one, only bothered me. "Excuse me? We went there before you had your feast at that restaurant. And how long did we spend there?"

I opened my mouth to answer that we'd only spent 15 minutes eating, but I thought otherwise. We _had _spent quite a length of time eating, laughing, and doing our usual teasing. It was hard to admit, but it was the best time I'd had in a _long _time, even if it included me barely containing my anger towards his arrogance. There was just something about Drew that always put a smile on my face.

"May?" His voice snapped me out of my thoughts. His bright green eyes regarded me carefully, like they were studying me. From what I saw, it wasn't the creepy kind of studying but closer to the caring kind. Like he actually was making sure I was okay. "You looked like you were daydreaming. I wouldn't be surprised if you were though, seeing only the sexiest man on Earth is walking alongside you right now."

"I don't see any sexy man," I laughed. I shaped my hands into binoculars, pretending to search for the sexiest man on Earth. I was beginning to lighten up, and my frown was turning upside down. "Are you sure you didn't mean the ugliest man on Earth, Drew?"

Suddenly, arms reached out and wrapped around Drew and I. A familiar voice said, "Of course not, Cookie. Drew's right! See, the sexiest man is right here!"

_Not him, please not him._ Praying that I had been just hearing things, I slowly turned my head to see the face of the high, female-like man's voice. He greeted me with a smile that was hard to return. _My day can't get any worse._

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><p><strong>Solidad Pov.<strong>

"Hi Soligirl, guess who I see?"

"Quit calling me that, Harley," I told him, the corners of my lips tugging upwards. Even after three years of marriage, he still amused me with his childish qualities. It was something that would never get old. My one year old son squirmed in my arms. I shifted my position to make it more comfy for him. "Who'd you see?"

Harley sat beside me and passed me a smoothie. After taking a sip of his own, he answered, "Gingerbread Cookie and Grasshead! Charlie will finally be able to meet them!"

It took me a few moments to figure out who 'Gingerbread Cookie' and 'Grasshead' were. Harley had so many random nicknames it was hard to keep track. When the names and faces came to me, I almost dropped my baby."May and Drew? Here? On _Cruise Dragonair_? Together? Where?"

"Gee Hun, so many questions. They're over there," he said. He directed my attention towards the hall, where I saw them standing side by side. May it seemed had outgrown her bandannas and instead had her hair flowing just below her shoulders, the same length as they had been before. She was wearing cropped leggings, flats, and aqua blue tank top. Drew almost looked exactly the same, besides the fact that he'd grown to be a head taller than May, and he was wearing khaki shorts with a purple t-shirt. By the look of it, they were arguing about something. _Years have passed and nothing has changed. _I was about to walk over to them, but Harley put a hand on my arm. "May I do the honours?"

I wasn't sure what Harley had in mind, but I agreed to it anyways. We started following them, making sure they didn't notice us. Finally, only footsteps away from them, we heard May tease Drew about not seeing the sexiest man on Earth. Harley, flashing me a grin, took advantage of this moment and slung his arms around May and Drew's shoulders as he said, "Of course not, Cookie. Drew's right! See, the sexiest man is right here!"

They swung their heads around, expressions horrified. I couldn't help but laugh; I knew Harley was disliked by both of them. Drew swat Harley off of them, just as he saw that I was standing near them. He walked towards me, totally ignoring Harley. "Solidad! Please don't tell me you brought him along with you... please... And whoa, _your baby_?"

"Sorry Drew. And to tell you the truth, _he_ brought me with him. And you know, _our baby._" Drew cocked his head to the side, confused with the last bit of my sentence. When he caught on to it, he looked more horrified than when Harley had grabbed on to him. It was cute though, seeing him still stubborn about his dislike towards Harley. "That's right, Drew. We're together now, married actually, whether you like it or not. And we have a baby boy, his name's Charlie. Isn't he adorable?"

Drew didn't respond; it seemed like he was in a state of shock. May was struggling to wave at me, but eventually did so after getting Harley off of her. I turned to Drew, raising an eyebrow. "So, how are you two?"

"It's a pain, hanging out with her on this wonderful cruise." He shrugged after coming back to life. "But it's been a while since I've seen her, too."

"Oh sure, it's a pain," I said, rolling my eyes. Harley and May caught up to us, and I noted that May's face was flushed pink. I was afraid to find out what Harley had said, or did for the matter. Before she had the chance to ask any questions, I nudged my head towards a nearby cafe. "Why not we go there so we can catch up?" The group nodded headed towards to cafe, May and Drew bickering along the way.

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><p><strong>Drew Pov.<strong>

After talking for a short while, Solidad and Harley told us that they'd been married for three years, and that they were on their honeymoon. They proved it by introducing their son, Charlie. Even being Harley's son, I had to admit he was pretty cute. He had Solidad's hair colour, curly on the top of his head. His wide turquoise eyes that were definitely from Harley seemed more than interested in May.

Solidad explained their small wedding, and while I was upset that my role model was the wife of a disgusting backstabber, May was squealing with congratulations. _Oh well. Hopefully Solidad will straighten Harley up. _Solidad then asked, "What have you been up to, May? I haven't seen you for almost four years now."

"Well for two years, I was still in Johto, kicking Drew's butt," May started, giving me a 'Suck on that' look. We both knew who the _real _winner was, but I didn't interrupt her. I too wanted to know what she'd been doing. "After that, I was competing alone in contests in Sinnoh for almost a year. I didn't win the Grand Festival, but I was runner up. I hadn't met anyone that became really close to me, so I guess I wanted to move on to a different region, and see new Pokémon. So I went to the Unova region."

"Hey, isn't that where Ash went?" I blurted out. It was always Ash this, Ash that. I shouldn't have been surprised May went exactly where he did. "Whatever, keep boring us."

"Shut up, Drew. Yes, that's where Ash went. Anyways, I found Unova so different, to the point where I was starting to miss my more 'fit' surroundings. So just recently, I came back to compete in Johto. I'm on this cruise to visit my family... I haven't seen them in a while. Now your turn, Mr. Rose."

"Well, I guess I've just been living life in Johto. Occasionally hitting other regions." My past years now seemed lame, travelling and competing alone. Even competing in contests had become a bore with no real rival. And there were always fan girls, lead by crazy Brianna. Honestly, it had been kind of lonely without May. _I wouldn't give her the satisfaction of knowing that though. _"But I'm starting to get tired of Johto. I've been here for so long. That's why I want to go back to Hoenn."

"That's so exciting, Drew-Bear," Harley said sarcastically in the most feminine voice a man could make. He was admiring his nails instead of listening to whatever the rest of us were saying. Only when Charlie started crying did Harley look away from his nails. "Oh baby... it's okay. Daddy's here."

Solidad glanced at her watch. Taking her wallet out of her purse, she left some money on the table. "Don't worry everyone, it's on me. But Charlie hasn't had a nap today and I bet he's really tired. Why not we meet for at the pool on the roof?"

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><p><strong>May Pov.<strong>

The couple and their crying baby left, leaving Drew and I alone. There was something about Drew that was different than it had been before meeting the others. He was deep in thought, like something was bothering him. What it was I wasn't sure, but his emerald eyes were thoughtful. I got up from my chair, "I don't know about you, but I'm going back to my room. I need to do some apologizing to my Pokémon, anyways."

"Yeah, same." _No snarky comment? Huh. _We kept walking, side by side in the same direction. It wasn't until we were a few feet away from my room when Drew stopped, "Look, I know you're attracted to my great looks, but there's no need to follow me to my room."

"Your room? Excuse me, but this is where _my _room is." I waved to my room. "See, room 207. Mine. I think you're the one following me."

"Well, guess we're neighbours for the rest of the trip." My jaw dropped, just as I saw him walking towards the room next to mine. _Oh great... now he can come bother me whenever he wants to. _Drew slid his room key into his room, 208, and opened the door. He smiled one last winning smile before entering his room. "I've missed you, May."

The door clicked shut, and I whispered, "I've missed you too."

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><p>Thank you for the reviews so far :) they're appreciated. Long awaited update... Writer's block sucks.<p>

I just realized how soon April 15th is :O. Wow... Time sure flies. Anyways, because of that, some parts of the story will be rushed, especially because my main focus is the middle-end. So the beginning will be lame & rushed. I'll practically be cutting about 5 chapters just so I can focus more on the end. My apologies. I won't be updating very often, but on the other hand each chapter will be longer. Yay?

I may occasionally spell things differently, the Canadian way. For example, instead of 'Color' I might write 'Colour'. Sorry!

Leave me a review :) Good or bad, I take both.

*just fixed a few typos. Thank you for pointing them out!


	3. Summer Paradise

**May Pov.**

Most of my Pokémon took my apology fine; I only had difficulty with Blaziken and Munchlax. However, the two accepted my apology after I took a few well deserved fire spins and fed Munchlax the last of my 'May's pink surprise'.

I was just grooming Glaceon when a knock sounded from the door. The bed groaned as I pushed up off it. I was curious to see who it was, knowing it wasn't likely to be any janitorial staff. Turning the doorknob and pulling, I was greeted by nothing but a note, _along with a rose. _I couldn't help but smile as I picked them up off the floor and went back into my room.

It was evident that the rose was handled carefully because it was, as usual, beautifully grown and clipped free of thorns. The note was also neat, not a single flaw on the cream coloured paper. On it was a message, handwritten in black ink.

_Solidad wants us to meet them at the rooftop pool at 3:00. According to Harley, the "Welcome to Cruise Dragonair!" pamphlet said that a maximum of 2 Pokémon are welcome, so you might as well bring them along. Wear something pretty for once. - Handsome Hayden._

I rolled my eyes at the 'Handsome Hayden' before checking the time. It was quarter to three, so I only had about 10 minutes to get dressed and ready. Packing my pool things into a small backpack, I returned my Pokémon to their pokeballs and head out the door.

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><p><strong>Drew Pov.<strong>

The pool was nicer than I'd imagined it to be. On the polished wood deck were two pools, a Jacuzzi, a juice bar, a few random booths, and rows of lawn chairs. The weather was perfect too. Warm and sunny with a cool breeze that swept through my hair. I scanned the crowd of people to see May, heading towards me with her Glaceon and Beautifly trotting beside her. Focussing my attention on her dress, she let out a harmonious laugh, "Like what you see? You said to wear something pretty, so I prettied myself."

"Don't flatter yourself, June," I sneered, but I thought otherwise. May had made herself look extremely appealing, even more than her usual. She was wearing a navy blue floral printed dress and man, did she kill it. The dress went just above the knee, showing off her perfect, slender legs. Not to mention the dress also brought out the colour of her wide, sapphire eyes. Her hair was left as it was before, flowing naturally below her shoulders. _Drew, quit it. You're goggling at her. _Shaking my head, I added "I say you look decent for once, May."

By then, she knew that the only way I complimented _her _was to hide it in an insult. Suddenly, I felt something soft brush against my leg. It was her Glaceon, purring beside me. As I stroked Glaceon's fur, I heard May giggle, "Wow, you're always so nice to my Pokémon but not me. Speaking of Pokémon, where are yours?"

To answer her question, I threw two pokeballs. After a flash of red light, Roserade and Absol appeared beside me. In seconds, May's Glaceon and my own Absol were tackling each other playfully. I thought they were quite cute together. I looked over to May, whose eyes were glued on to Beautifly and Roserade's dance-like motions. "Our Pokémon haven't seen each other for a while either, have they?"

"No, they haven't," I heard May sigh in content. For a minute, we watched our four Pokémon enjoy themselves, having their own small reunion. May then broke our silence by asking, "Have you seen the others yet?"

I shrugged in reply, just as I felt a light touch on my shoulder. I turned around to see a smiling Charlie with his chubby little hands reaching out towards me from Solidad's arms. His bright turquoise eyes were filled with wonder, excitement, and innocent curiosity. Giggling, he squealed, "Dabbawoo!"

"I think 'Dabbawoo' is supposed to be you," Solidad laughed as she kissed the top of her son's head. It made me happy to see her enjoying life even more than she had been before her marriage. _Maybe marrying Harley was a good thing after all. _Solidad's eyes lifted from Charlie as she glanced over to the massage booth. "Harley said he was going to see if there were any openings for a massage for me. I wonder if he's still there..."

"Why don't you both go?" May suggested. Ignoring Solidad's multiple protests, she gestured towards Charlie and added, "We'll watch Charlie. Don't worry! You two go relax, have fun, do your thing."

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><p><strong>Harley Pov.<strong>

"Harley!" I was halfway through paying for Solidad's back and foot massage when she came thundering towards me. Her arms were empty; no Charlie cuddled safely within them. I was about to ask her where he'd gone, but she was one step ahead of me. "May and Drew offered to care for Charlie for a bit while we _both_get a massage. So make it a massage for two, Harley."

"Well, I guess for two it is." I handed the massage lady my credit card before she escorted us to lie on the 'beds'. I asked Solidad, "Hun, are you _sure _Charlie will be alright? I mean, I don't know... I've never seen Grasshead and Gingersnap take care of a baby before."

"They'll be fine," she said softly, closing her eyes. "Drew is like a son to me. He hides it, but he's such a caring boy. Like you, Harley. You need to show your inner kind heart out in public more."

She didn't see it, but what she'd said made me smile. That's was why I knew we were meant to be; she was the one person I was my true self around. She was the one person who knew me in and out, who knew all my secrets. I closed my eyes and whispered back, "I know, Hun. I know."

* * *

><p><strong>May Pov.<strong>

The moment Solidad left Charlie in my arms and left to join Harley, Drew stripped himself of his shirt. I didn't know _why _he decided to suddenly take his shirt off, but all I could do was stare. From what I could remember from years ago, his body was just average, nothing special. _Now it's sexy. _He definitely wasn't a super bodybuilder, but there were definite signs of training. His muscles were definitely toned, especially his delicious looking stomach. _Oh Arceus, I want to touch his abs... Maybe even do a little bit of "May's expedition"... Oh wait, what am I thinking! _Drew caught me staring and had to flick his hair. "Checking me out?"

I blushed like mad. Getting teased by Drew was one thing, but getting teased by Drew for staring at him while he didn't have his shirt off was another. I knew that replying with a snide comment would only make things worse for myself, so I instead tried answering with a question. "Why did you take your shirt off?"

"If you didn't know May, this is a _pool." _He laughed, his arms out to prove his statement. "And I was going to take little Charlie for a 'swim'. Why aren't you in your bathing suit? Scared you won't be as hot as the King of Coordinating?"

"That's it!" Forcing Drew to hold Charlie, I darted off to the change rooms. _King of Coordinating, who does he think he is? _I already had my bathing suit underneath my dress, but like Drew said, I was self conscious. I quickly changed out of my dress. _Expect his usual snarky comment, but ignore it. _After a final breath, I got out of the change room.

The first thing I saw when I got out of the change room put a smile on my face. Charlie was sitting on Drew's lap in the children's pool with Drew holding him securely. The smile on Drew's face was one of those rare smiles that he tried so hard to hide. It became even wider when Charlie did something adorable, like reach out and touch his face or splash the water with his stubby little hands. I heard two girls near me gossiping about how hot it was when a guy played with little kids. I turned my attention back to Charlie and them, I forgot about my nerves. I moved to where they were, and then inserted myself into the lukewarm water beside them. "So, enjoying yourselves?"

The two turned their head in my direction at the same time. I saw Drew's mouth open as if to say something, but it suddenly clamped shut. His illuminating jade eyes became large as they swallowed me whole. There was an awkward silence that was broken by Charlie's squeals for attention as he splashed water in Drew's face. Drew blinked a few times before becoming his usual self again, "Yeah, I am enjoying myself. Well, I was until you showed up."

"Of course, Drew." I rolled my eyes. I had the sudden impulse tease him back the way he'd teased me. "Of course you weren't just staring at my beauty."

Whether he'd found what I said funny or whether it was sheer coincidence, Charlie let out a set of giggles. For the second time, Drew seemed taken aback, from both Charlie and my teasing. However, he quickly regained his composure. "What beauty? I was staring at that lady behind you, May."

I couldn't help but burst out into a fit of giggles when I saw the Pokémon behind me. The fattest miltank I'd ever witnessed was sun tanning on its back next to its trainer, its udders upward. That wasn't all. The miltank was wearing heart shaped sunglasses, with a fading temporary tattoo on its left arm that read "Drink Milk!" _So this is what Charlie probably was giggling about. _I turned back to Drew. "Wow Drew, I didn't know you had an amazing taste in... um... Women."

"Yeah, I sure do." Drew looked back at Charlie. "Isn't she a silly person? Please don't turn out like that."

"Doo! Doo!"

"Oh look May, Charlie's calling me by my name." Drew grinned proudly, running his hand through Charlie's curly coral pink hair. He was so fond of little Charlie he hadn't noticed what Charlie had called him. I let out a laugh.

"He didn't call you Drew, you idiot." The expression on Drew's face made me love ruining Drew's moments even more. "He called you "doo", and doo is equivalent to poo!"

"At least he acknowledges my existence, where as he barely seems to notice you."

"Shut up!"

Time went by fast. Before we knew it, the three of us had spent two hours in the pool. Despite what Drew had said about Charlie not noticing me, Charlie had started to become attached to me as well. By the time Harley and Solidad had finished their massage and come take their son back, Charlie was crying and begging them to let him to stay and play with Drew and I. They gave in; Charlie was gifted with a charm that was undeniable.

At the end of our long day at the pool the four of us, or five including Charlie, had become like family. We were as close, if not closer than we were before we'd separated ways in Johto. I was even feeling the father-daughter relationship forming between Harley and I, something I thought would be impossible. Even Drew was able to tolerate him.

When I returned to my hotel room, I slumped on to my bed. I didn't even bother showering or changing from my dress. I was too exhausted from baking in the sun and having the time of my life.

My eyes were fluttering closed and sleep was daring to take over when there I heard three light knocks against the door. Cracking my joints as I sat up from my bed, I dragged myself off. With much effort, I lumbered my way over to the door, to find one Harley with a large envelope in his hand. He smiled brightly when he saw me, his eyes glimmering with childish excitement. "Oh May hun, I'm so glad this is your room. I accidentally went to the wrong floor, and some fat freako with bad odor answered the door. Yuck. Anyway, Drew-Bear wanted me to give this to you, since you left the pool before him. Don't worry, I haven't peeked."

I thanked him when he gave me the envelope. We talked for a couple of minutes in the doorway until I let out a loud, unpleasant yawn. Harley noted this and told me to get some rest before leaving to meet with his family. I carefully shut the door behind him and deposited myself back onto the bed.

I wasn't surprised when I opened the envelope and found a rose with a note folded in half. It was a total Drew thing. I carefully unfolded the note.

_You looked decent enough today, but I think there's some room for improvement. Even you could make yourself look at least semi-pretty. So prove it, won't you? - Drew_

Holding the note close to my pounding heart, I rested my head down on my pillow and fell into calm, peaceful sleep.

* * *

><p>Should I be concerned that some of the reviewers were looking forward to some character deaths :O? Hehe, I'm still deciding what I should do for the ending. So stay tuned, people :).<p>

Okay, so it's kind of obvious I won't finish this story by April 15th. I've been far too busy and though I've been trying to push myself, working through minor Writer's Block is a pain. Don't worry though; I will definitely finish this story! I was planning to update something special for April 15th but now it seems that I'll be busy for a while :(

Leave a review for me :)?


	4. I Want to Dance with Somebody

**Harley Pov.**

"They're so cute together, don't you think Harley?"

I lifted my eyes off Charlie's sleeping figure in my arms to our two friends. May and Drew were side by side, pointing off to a distance from where they were standing on the deck. Gingerbread Cookie was standing up tall, excitement clear in her posture as she continuously fixed her hair from the wind. Grasshead was lazily leaning against the railing, a smirk playing on his lips as he kept his gaze on whatever the two were looking at. They were too far for me to eavesdrop on their conversation, but it was clear they were enjoying themselves.

"Harley?" I turned my attention back to my wife. _My wife_. It would probably take me ten more years until I finally got used to calling her that. It felt too good to be true. "Did you hear what I asked you?"

"Of course, Hun." I lifted the sleeping Charlie out of my arms and placed him gently into the pokeball shaped stroller. He was quite small for his age, and sleeping he looked even smaller. I saw his adorable hands grasp his stuffed tediursa plushy with his eyes still closed. "They would be cute but... They're not together yet."

"I know, but still." Solidad sighed as she huddled up against me. "They would be. I just wish Drew would confess. I mean, they kind of remind me of us. You didn't have the guts to even ask me out for coffee until five years after competing against each other. And for me, I kept pushing the thoughts of loving you away because I was afraid you wouldn't feel the same for me."

That was all true. I really _didn't _have the guts to ask her out on a one-on-one until then. I remember being afraid that she would find me 'creepy' as some people labelled me, and I didn't want to risk the friendship that had slowly formed between us. _Ah, those days. So long ago, it feels like it was yesterday. _I hugged Solidad tighter, and kissed her on the forehead. "But now you're not afraid I wouldn't feel the same because you know, Solibabe. You know I feel the same."

"Err... excuse me?" I raised my eyebrows at the young man in front of us. His cheeks were pink with embarrassment. Idly straightening out his _Cruise Dragonair _uniform, he continued. "I was wondering if you'd like to go to the _La Danser de la Dragonair. _It's a ball, hosted by the captain of the cruise himself. Anybody from the age 15 and older is welcome, free of cost."

"I'm sorry. We'd love to go, but we've got a son," Solidad said apologetically motioning towards the still sleeping Charlie. "Thanks for the -"

"Oh no, there's no problem with that miss!" the man replied abruptly, his cheeks pinker than before. I snickered. It wasn't unusual that Solidad's natural beauty charmed people. "For parents such as yourselves, we have provided a children's room! They'll be cared for in good hands."

"We'll think about it." There was a small smile playing her Solidad's lips. When the man walked away after handing us the official _La Danser de la Dragonair _invite, Solidad flashed me a grin. "If we're going... don't you think it would be just wonderful if _they _did too?"

* * *

><p><em>To all guests,<em>

_The captain of the cruise would like to invite you to a special event, La Danser de la Dragonair. Everyone from ages 15 and up are welcome, free of cost!_

_La Danser de la Dragonair, directly translating into "Dance of the Dragonair", will be located in the ballroom (see attached map for details) at will be held at 6:00PM until 12:00AM. You are definitely welcome to attend or leave at anytime between these hours. As this is a dance, we ask that you dress up for this special occasion! _

_If you have any children ages 0-14 years old, they can be watched under good care in the Playzone._

_Thank you for choosing Cruise Dragonair. May the rest of your trip be a success!_

* * *

><p><strong>Solidad Pov.<strong>

Harley and I had decided that I was going to convince May to go to the ball, and that he was going to convince Drew. In all honestly, I thought that his task was a bit _too challenging_, especially because it was Harley. Thankfully, I was able to convince May to come along with us. Not that it was difficult; she loved shopping, and if it meant shopping for a dress, she was totally in. The two of us had even decided that we would go dress shopping together, and have a little girl time to ourselves.

"What do you think?" I looked up from a rack of dresses to see May, who had just stepped out of the changing room. She wore a short, silky green dress that went up to her mid-thigh. Both she and the dress were pretty, but they just didn't go together. With her chocolate brown hair and her lime green dress, she looked kind of like an exotic tree. She ran a hand through her hair and let out a loud sigh. "It looks horrible, doesn't it?"

"Not _horrible_, no... But I think a different one would suit you more," I told her. I turned back to the rack of dresses in front of me. None of them were ugly, but there weren't any that screamed May. They were too sexy, too long, too puffy, the wrong colour, etc. I pointed towards a baby blue one hanging on the wall. "Maybe try that one over there?"

"Yeah, sure," she said, and I detected a hint of sadness. Whether it was sadness of not finding the perfect dress, or sadness that she felt that she was forcing me to stay, I wasn't sure. She probably wouldn't have felt so bad if I hadn't found a dress for myself minutes after we'd walked into the little dress shop. It was a long, white dress that had little orange swirls. "If you want to leave Solidad, you can if you want. I don't want to make you help me..."

I shook my head. "It's alright. I like this shopping stuff. Now stop stalling and try that dress on, May. Maybe that'll be your perfect fitting Cinderella slipper."

"Maybe it-" May stopped and I saw her eyes go wide. Those sapphire orbs were sparkling with excitement. She dropped the dress she was holding and starting walking towards something with an entranced expression written all over her face. "Oh my gosh."

"Oh my gosh what?" I asked, stepping towards her.

"Oh my gosh," May repeated. My jaw dropped when I saw the most stunning dress I had _ever _seen in my whole entire life. And what made the dress even better was that it was really meant for May. Gently, I ran my fingers across cool silky fabric. "It's so... Beautiful. Too beautiful for me. I look like a deformed Muk."

"Really May?" Drew _was_ right. The girl really did need to wake up sometimes. I lifted the dress by the hanger and placed it in her arms. "Go try it on! It will probably look lovely."

And boy was I right. She really did look amazing. When she stepped out of the change room, it took all I had to refrain from calling Drew over to the shop. May did a twirl, and then stared into the mirror in front of her. She gave me a shy smile, before letting out a soft giggle. "This looks okay."

"Looks okay?" It was my turn to laugh. "Drew wouldn't think so. He would think you look like the prettiest thing in the Universe."

"You only say that because you're nice, Solidad... WAIT WHAT?" May shrieked, horrified. But despite her expression, her cheeks were tinted with a light pink. Failing her attempt to hide her blush, she added. "I don't see why you mentioned Drew... Besides, I don't care what he thinks."

"Oh sure, you _don't _care," I said, rolling my eyes. I reached down and flipped over the price tag that was dangling from her dress. I grimaced when I saw the price. I shouldn't have been surprised that the dress was pricey, considering that it was made to perfection. And for a teenager like herself, money wasn't something that she had too much of. "May... I know this is a really nice dress but you might want to look at the price."

Her face fell instantly, and I felt awful. Poor girl had finally found the dress she wanted and it was too expensive. A tap on the back made me turn from May.

"Anything I can help you with miss?" a young man asked. "I'd be happy to help- OH MY ARCEUS IT'S THE KANTO SENSATION! HOLY TAURUS HORNS. I THINK I JUST FELL IN LOVE! OH MY LUGIA, THE HOENN SENSATION IS HERE TOO?"

The man suddenly was kneeling on the floor, like he was bowing to May and I. His eyes were sparkling with tears of joy as he held both of our hands and kissed them gently. Around us I saw a few glances being shot towards us. _Great, he's going to cause a commotion if he doesn't tone it down a bit. _I asked him how he knew us, and he looked almost offended.

"Not know famous coordinators May and Solidad?" he spluttered, shaking his golden hair. "You guys are my idols! And to see you in my store, wearing the dresses that Idesigned, it tears me up. I just wish I had something to give you for coming here... Aha! I could give you both dresses you beautiful ladies have chosen, for a small price!"

"Are you sure?" May asked with uncertainty. She was still kind of shocked with this fan boy moment, as I was. "I don't want you to lose income..."

"Princess of Hoenn, anything for you." He kissed the back of her hand again. "My only wish is that I receive a photograph with both of you, and if you could possibly sign my Coordinator Collection book!"

May and I ended up walking out of the store with two _free _dresses and a bouquet of flowers. I knew Harley wouldn't mind; he had fans of his own and understood that I would have just as many as he did. On the contrast, I had a feeling that if Drew knew _anything _about May getting flowers from another guy, he would be jealous. It didn't matter that they were 'just friends'. Although it was pretty cute of him, I knew May really didn't like it when Drew got all stubborn and upset. Of course, she had no clue that he simply jealous.

"So I'll meet you in front of the ballroom at seven?" May asked. I nodded as we went separate ways back to our rooms. I smiled to myself, excited for the event to come.

* * *

><p><strong>Drew Pov.<strong>

"You're a damn, hot sexy man, Drew," I told my reflection in the mirror. I fixed my bowtie for the second time, along with the collar of my shirt. I gave my winning smirk to my reflection. "You're so damn hot, nothing can stop you. Nothing can stop your totally amazing green hair and eyes. You're on fire, baby."

Behind me, I heard stifled giggles. I raised my eyebrows at Roserade who had eavesdropped in on my conversation with myself. _A conversation with myself. How pathetic. _Her red eyes regarded me mischievously as if she understood exactly what was going through my head. And she probably did. Roserade was my best friend, and had been ever since I'd become partners with her as a Budew.

Roserade giggled again, and I kneeled down so our eye level matched. "Yes?"

She handed me two things; a rose and a piece of paper. There was a picture of two people in the middle. One was obviously me. Who else had green hair like _that_? Honestly, I was pretty proud of my pokemon's artistic skills. I wasn't sure where she'd achieved their artistic skills from, knowing it wasn't from me.

The figure drawn next to Crayon Drew was really pretty. And lucky Crayon Drew was holding hands with her. She had brown hair, sapphire eyes, a really nice smile and- Holy pokeballs! It's May!

"Roserade... What the hell?" I groaned. That pokemon had been hinting 'romance' between May and I for as long as I could remember. Even on the first day May and I had met, Roserade (who was a Roselia at the time) had kept giggling every time I mentioned May. Though the picture wasn't the best of Roserade's art, I slipped it into my breast pocket.

"I'm going to go now," I told my Pokémon. "Do you guys want to stay here in the room, or come with me in your pokeballs?"

Only Absol decided to join me in his pokeball. Like myself, Absol wasn't too big on loud parties. And loud parties were exactly what happened every time I left my Pokémon in the room for themselves. After returning him to his pokeball, I left food for the others, locked the room door and stepped out the door.

"Good luck, Drew," I told myself as I walked down the corridor to the ballroom. "Whatever you need it for."

* * *

><p>Gah, bad chapter.<p>

Sorry for the totally late update! :\ forgive me, readers. I've also been starting to lose the inspiration to write. But trust me, I've decided that there's gonna be some action coming up next chapter :P.

I wrote a one-shot (Which _might transform _into a two shot) story a little while back. It's a Contestshipping story called "Open up your eyes, Good Girl." Check it out and maybe leave a review :)?

Leave me a review :)! (Not trying to sound like those desperate authors but... It really helps when people review. More inspiration = More reason to write = Faster Updates!)


	5. Beautiful

**Drew Pov.**

It was like I was in a Disney Princess movie.

The ballroom had exceeded my expectations by a long shot. Sparkly chandeliers hung from the ceiling, illuminating and giving the room a royal feel. The decorations, from the gigantic glass Dragonair sculpture to the ribbons that hung all over the room, were fantastic. The soft music created a joyful atmosphere.

And then there was the beverage and foods table. If it was paradise to me, I didn't know what it could have been for a food lover like May. There were piles of rich delicacies topped on fancy silver trays, served by a butler who wore an outfit that suited the occasion very well. There were drinks of all kinds, most of which I couldn't even name.

There was something else that made the ballroom feel so Disney-like; the girls.

I felt like Prince Charming, surrounded by many pretty girls and ladies wearing their gorgeous gowns. They were all dressed for the occasion, and their makeup was done with perfection. But they didn't matter to me, even if they were swooning and sighing at me. Because there was only one girl who I was hoping to see.

But she hadn't arrived yet. That I knew, because I had been craning my neck from different areas of the ballroom to watch the entrance to see if she'd come.

"Hello, handsome. You're not with a date, so I was thinking..."

I looked to my left where a young lady who had obviously been drinking heavily batted her eyelashes at me. She didn't seem too conscious of what she was doing, and her breath smelled heavily of whisky. _Great, a drunk chick. This is just wonderful. _I gave her an apologetic look and turned away. "Sorry, I'm waiting for-"

"You can reject other babes, but you can't reject a sexy mamma with a big butt and big boobs," she purred, grabbing the collar of my shirt hungrily. In my mind, she was anything but sexy. True she was sticking out quite a bit in some places, but she wasn't anything I wanted. In fact, I wanted her to get off of me. "Come on hot stuff, come with me... We can _dance_in my room..."

"No thanks," I said, trying to push her away. Her grip only tightened. She stuck her face closer to mine, and I felt like gagging because of her warm, disgusting breath. "I'm serious, I don't want to-"

"Yes, you're coming with me babe. Let's have some fun!"

"Leave me the hell alone!"

"Don't you know what personal space is? Leave him alone, you sicko."

The 'sexy mamma' loosened her grip and glared at my savior. _You are my hero_. The girl continued glaring at whoever had saved my ass until she decided it was pointless and chose to storm away.

"Thanks, really I-" I came to a sudden halt when I finally realized who it was. Words were no longer coming out of my mouth. All I could do was stare. I mentally slapped myself for meeting her in the ballroom the way I did. What I had been hoping for more of a romantic kind of meet up. I'd imagined being my usual confident self, her being her usual adorable self, and the two of outshining the guests of the Dragonair. I thought that I would be acting like a gentleman instead of getting saved from a drunken nutcase.

_How embarrassing. _I thought, disappointment seizing me. _She's here with me, and I can't even utter a single word after being embarrassed to death. _

She defined beauty and made everyone else in the room look plain. Even her dress surpassed all the other dresses in the room. It was a silky strapless ball gown that hugged her waist but flowed gracefully from her hips. I couldn't help but notice the fabric's red color matched the rose in my pocket.

"Really, what were you thinking Mr. Rose?" I heard her laugh nervously. She fidgeted with a loose strand of hair that was curled so it framed her small face. On top of her head so elegantly placed was a little tiara with little jewels that were similar to the rhinestones on her dress. "Getting attacked by rabid curvy monsters. Or is it some Grasshead Top Coordinator thing? Because I certainly don't-"

"May, just shut up," I said, stepping toward her to close the distance between us. I saw her eyes narrow and her mouth curved into a frown. May's expression instantly changed when I took her hand in mine. I grinned. "It's a ballroom dance, May. Speaking of ballroom dance, may I have this dance May?"

* * *

><p><strong>May Pov.<strong>

It took all I had not to burst into tears and run away from the ballroom. Everyone was so beautiful. It was overwhelming to see how perfect everyone was, and how imperfect I was. If I hadn't lost Solidad in the large crowd, I wouldn't have felt so utterly small and alone.

_Take a few deep breaths, May. You'll see your friends and everything will be okay soon. You'll see Solidad, Harley, Drew... _

Drew. Just the thought of him made my heart sink. I knew he was going to show up perfect the way he always was and point out my flaws. He would say how ugly I looked and how I didn't deserve such a beautiful dress.

I stood awkwardly by the food table where so many mouth watering goodies begged for me to eat. I nibbled at a few, and although they were delicious, I couldn't really enjoy it. Eating alone was no fun, but it was better than standing in the middle of the dance floor alone.

"Move it," I heard a voice slur angrily. I young drunk lady pushed me out of her way. Even with alcohol influencing her, you could still tell she was much sexier than I was. "Can't you see I'm trying to get a sexy man to sleep with me? Oh damn, that green haired guy is gonna' come with me for sure."

It wouldln't have given her word a second thought if I hadn't noticed her speak of a 'green haired guy'. There weren't even a handful of guys with green hair I knew, and I was pretty sure Drew was the only green haired person on the whole cruise. As fast as I could, I fought my way through the thick crowd of dancing people until I reached Drew.

When I'd arrived, Drew was totally trapped by the drunk lady. At first, I wanted to leave. I knew I was being completely selfish considering I _didn't _have any _romantic_ feelings for him, but I hated seeing Drew getting attention from other woman. _Or did I have romantic feelings for him?_However, after hearing his struggled protests trying to get him off of her, I jumped into action.

Surprisingly, it only took a few seconds of glaring to get her to leave. _You can't estimate a drunk like her. _I shook my head as I watched her lumber off and drape her arms around another single guy.

"Thanks," Drew said absentmindedly, fixing his purple shirt where the drunk lady had messed it up."Really, I-"

Then Drew stopped talking and it looked like he finally noticed it was me for the first time. I shifted uncomfortably under his heavy gaze mixed with so many emotions I couldn't tell what he was thinking. Was I a disappointment? Ugly and unfitting for the marvelling dress? We were silently staring at one another for what felt like eternity. Finally, to ease the tension, I spoke.

"Really, what were you thinking Mr. Rose?" I teased, but I could hear the wavering of my voice. Drew still hadn't anything and his eyes were exploring every single part of me. I decided to push the conversation more to hopefully get some words out of him. "Getting attacked by rabid curvy monsters. Or is it a Top Grasshead Coordinator thing? Because I certainly don't-"

"May, shut up." His words surprised me. It wasn't because "shut up" was uncommon for him to say, because he _did _say "shut up" quite often. It wasn't because he finally spoke up. It was because secretly, deep down somewhere in my heart, I was hoping he would tell me something else. _Beautiful. _I was hoping for the word _beautiful. _

But all those thoughts of longing for a compliment from Drew disappeared when he reached down and grabbed one of my hands. I lifted my eyes from our hands and looked into his eyes, those sparkling jade eyes that were so steady and beautiful I could barely breathe. He gave him his trademark grin. "It's a ballroom dance, May. And speaking of ballroom dance, may I have this dance, May?"

I nodded and allowed him to lead me to the ballroom. I could see people watching me, watching _us. _I clung to Drew even more than I had before, self conscious as the people around us watched intently.

Before I knew it, we were in the center of the ballroom. It was all too cliché. Drew was prince charming; the perfect guy _every _girl wanted to dance with. I was the not-so-great girl who just got lucky to dance with him. People spread out away from us just so they could watch. The music playing was a song any girl would have recognized; _Beauty and the Beast. _He placed one hand on my waist, and the other took my free hand which wasn't resting on his shoulder. And then we just danced throughout the whole song, no word exchanged between us.

Every step, turn, and twirl of mine probably looked like a failure. Did I care? Not at the least. With him by my side, I felt invincible. It was like a true Disney Princess movie. But it was exceptionally magical when the song had started to fade towards its ending for the beginning of the next song.

"May, you're so..." he started to say softly. I saw his eyes darken into a different shade of green, the way his eye color changed depending on his mood. His eyes were locked to my own. What was he thinking? Was I so awkward? Horrible at dancing? Was there something wrong with the way looked? Drew extended his arm and cupped my cheek. "...beautiful."

My heart skipped a beat or two. _Beautiful. _The word rang in my ears, and I could almost hear it echoing throughout the room. _Beautiful. Drew called me beautiful! _And Drew _never _complimented me directly like that.

I probably ought to have given him a compliment back. Instead, I did the craziest thing.

I kissed him.

I wrapped my arms around his neck and kissed him the way I'd seen my parents kiss when it was their anniversary, or the way couples kissed in chick flicks. At first, Drew seemed hesitant. But after slowly coming over the shock, I felt him kiss back. He even wrapped his arms around my waist tighter than they had been before. Even as we kissed, I was able to smell the faint scent of rose and mint he _always _had on him.

"OH MY GOLDUCK," a familiar voice yelled. _Harley. _Drew's lips grinned against mine, reluctant to let go. "GET A ROOM!"

We laughed and broke apart, still smiling at each other.

_Life is perfect. _

* * *

><p><strong>No One's Pov.<strong>

She watched painfully from the corner. The two were a beautiful pair. Everything about each of them complimented each other. When she saw the girl kiss the boy, they became one. Any person who'd ever felt love could see that both the brunette and the green haired boy had strong feelings for one another. Such a perfect pair they were.

And it hurt to know she would probably break the pair, along with so many others. But her life was on the line. Her family was on the line. Everything she loved was on the line.

"...Grunt? Are you there, grunt?"

She hated being called grunt. She along with many others were called so. It made her feel like a filthy piece of scum, below even the most sickening. Nonetheless, she replied through miniture microphone attached to the collar of her dress. "Yes, boss. Reporting from the Dragonair Ballroom, sir."

"A grunt should be more alert; I've been trying to contact you," a voice sneered in reply. Her boss's voice dripped with thick acid every time he mentioned anything he felt superior of. _Like us grunts._"Is the captain at a desirable location yet? We need to move fast; Giovanni would be upset if it took any longer."

Even just the thought of his name sent shivers down her spine. Giovanni was the top of the whole system and he could easily take the life out of anyone with a snap of his finger, even _her boss. _Once a part of the team, there was no way you could not obey him.

"Not yet, sir," she replied back. She heard a snarl through her earpiece. "About an hour or so after the ball, when he has returned to his room."

"Very well. Make sure everything is in place. I will contact you again soon." With that, the line went silent.

The grunt sighed and stared across the room again where the couple were having the time of their lives, laughing and talking to another couple. _I'm sorry, _the grunt thought. She looked away, unable to stand to look at such a wonderful pair. _I'm so sorry. _

* * *

><p>Haha, for more Disney inspiration, I wrote this while listening to Disney music. I love Disney, I have like 40 Disney songs (like, from Disney soundtracks like Mulan) on my iPod. :O<p>

I'm sorry there wasn't much action here. I wanted a slow, happy chapter... but then I ended that last little bit. haha... I promise, NEXT CHAPTER will be good. :$ I hope.

Leave me a review :)! They're appreciated.


	6. Misunderstanding

_Recap: Drew and May were at the Dragonair Ball, where they finally kissed. _

* * *

><p><strong>Drew Pov.<strong>

Best. Kiss. Ever.

I wasn't all sure about May's romantic past, but for me, that was the best kiss I'd ever experienced. Hell, it was probably the best kiss that had ever been experienced by anyone in all of eternity.

If only that obnoxious Harley hadn't interrupted us.

He swung his arms around us and gave us the most embarrassing bear hug. He squealed in the most feminine voice ever, "Aw! My little baby Grasshead and Gingercookie smooched! Finally! When am I going to have little god children? Oh gosh, I'm really excited to see a little Grasscookie-"

"Harley, give it a rest," Solidad laughed from behind him. Harley let us go and hugged her instead. A smile lit up on her amused face. "So, you two have finally come together."

I waited for May to deny it, or come up with some stupid "I bumped into him" excuse. Instead she grinned shyly and puffed up her flushed cheeks. "Well, yeah. Only after I saved his butt from some drunken lady who was all over-"

"My pretty face. Admit it, May. I'm quite the stunner." I shot her a lazy grin, something that a magazine had once told me girls find sexy. "I'm not surprised you threw yourself at me."

"Ugh! I can't stand you."

"Then why'd you kiss me?"

May's face turned into a darker shade of pink. I loved annoying her. Her brows were knit together and you could almost see the steam bursting from her ears. She snarled, "Don't make me regret it!"

"You won't. You'll be thinking about my luscious lips every night and day. You'll-"

"Quit being cocky for once hun! A real man does _not _act that way!" Harley told me, and I started coughing just to hide my laugh. Getting told by _Harley _on how to act like a real man was hilarious. After all, he was probably more feminine than his wife. Harley pulled May's hand. "Come on, darling. We'll show your honey how a real dance goes."

I saw May's horrified face when she realized she would be dancing with Harley. Of course, whether it was because of May's reaction or if it was merrily the fact he wanted to, Harley dragged May away into a dance.

When the song started to fade away, May and Harley came back toward us. Harley was grinning as usual, while May looked flustered. I pulled her toward me and whispered, "Are you alright? You look like you've just got off a roller coaster."

"Hardly," May panted while shooting glances toward Harley, who was talking to his wife. "If you'd ever danced with Harley, you wouldn't ask if I'm okay."

"What did you-"

"Don't even ask, Drew. It's Harley, meaning it was indescribable," May mumbled. I couldn't help but grin. I'd seen never seen Harley dancing, but by the way May was reacting, I was sure it was crazy stuff. And I was right. A little distance away from May and I, Solidad was laughing and enjoying herself as Harley was doing dance moves that resembled an excited tangela. May too saw them dancing and shook her head. "That Harley will never change."

"No, he won't. But it's okay; Harley wouldn't be Harley if he wasn't that way," I told her. May nodded in agreement. I didn't mean to be offensive; Harley was unique. Back when we'd met, I'd found him odd and repulsive. Now I wasn't just able to cope his weirdness, but his weirdness had rather grown on me. I heard May let out a tired sigh. "You okay?"

"I'm fine. Just a bit tired from all that dancing," she answered while stifling a yawn. "Maybe I'll go back now."

"Well what are you waiting for? Let's go," I said, wrapping my arms around her waist. I saw her blush return to her face but I didn't care. I loved the feeling that she was _mine _now. It made me feel superior to all the other guys in the room that had shot jealous looks in our direction. _No, she makes me feel even more superior. I already felt superior to them. _As May and I started to walk out of the ballroom, I even went out of my way to stick my tongue out at a few of them.

* * *

><p><strong>May Pov.<strong>

I'd never felt so safe. Drew's arms were like a protective barrier around me, and every cell in my body was screaming "Oh my gosh, Drew is _holding _me!" I felt like Drew's number one fan girl Brianna who'd fainted when Drew had complimented her battling style.

"Suck on that, losers," Drew muttered after placing a light kiss on my head. I looked up at him curiously and he shot me a lazy smirk. "What? Those guys were looking at you so I had to prove them who you belong to."

"_Belong to? _Excuse me Drew, since when did you own me?"

"Well I've stolen your heart, haven't I?" he teased. I rolled my eyes. _That is so Drew. _I should have expected a cheesy line like that. He was a walking encyclopedia of insults and compliments that reddened me to the roots of my hair.

As Drew and I were moments from leaving the ballroom, a man whom appeared to be in his mid fifties approached us. He dressed formally, and had a double buttoned jacket over his shirt. Atop of his grey hairs was a hat that would be worn by sailors. There were multiple badges and pins over his heart.

"Good evening! Did you enjoy La Danser de la Dragonair?" he asked, biting his lower lip. His sea green eyes reflected his excitement. "I'm not so great with organizing ballroom dances; this is my first time."

"It was excellent, sir," Drew told him. His voice was polite and classy, the way he was around strangers or people he held respect toward. Drew extended his free arm that wasn't wrapped around me to him. "And you, I assume, are the captain?"

"Oh, did I not introduce myself?" The captain chuckled as he shook Drew's hand. He seemed like a nice enough person. One of those jolly old folk. The captain and I shook hands as well. "Yes, you could say so. But I must say, my second does most of the steering of this old Dragonair Cruise. I just lay back and take credit.

"Speaking of laying back, I think I'm going to go." He shot us a lopsided grin. He glanced down at his watch and sighed. "Oh darn, only eight? This thing goes on till midnight... Maybe I can go nap and come back for the closing speech..."

With that, the captain waved us good bye and left.

"He seemed nice," Drew stated when we were in front of my room. He laughed. "I trust he's a good captain. Hopefully he's trustable enough that our cruise won't sink like the titanic."

"Drew! That's not funny!" I tried pulling a serious face without success. After inserting my room key, I turned the knob of the door and welcomed Drew in. "People died, you know."

"Really? I thought DiCaprio was just an actor."

"Oh, shut up Drew. There's no space for your sarcasm in this room," I told him as I was greeted by my Pokémon. After getting nearly squeezed and boiled to death by Blazekin, I filled their bowls with pokepellets and other goodies. I turned to Drew, "Shouldn't you check on your Pokémon?"

"Nah, I think they'd rather enjoy themselves a bit," He said, shrugging. "Every time I leave them to be for a bit, I always come back to their party. Speaking of party, I think I need to borrow your washroom."

I scrunched up my face. "What does party have to do with the washroom?"

"Did I say party? I meant potty. Now leave me be." Then, before shutting the door to the bathroom, he shot me a dirty look follow by a flick of his hair. "Unless you want to see my junk."

"That's just nasty!" I screamed. I heard Drew laugh behind the closed door. Sometimes I wondered why he attracted me so much. It could not have been his immaturity. Maybe.

Just then, my pokegear began buzzing away on the desk. Quickly flipping it open, I saw that it was Ash calling me.

That's odd, I thought. Ash never called me, nor did he ever text me. Even when planning a get together, it was always Misty who'd called and arranged the event. I pressed the little green button and held the device to my ear. "Hello?"

"Hey May!" his voice boomed into my ear. Judging by the excitement in his tone, I assumed his reason for calling was not an emergency. "So... I kind of need some advice. I want to plan a really nice surprise for Misty's birthday. But I don't know what to do. Any ideas, May?"

"First off, that is just so cute!" I shrilled. I made myself comfy by lying on my bed. "Well depends on what you want. Do you want it unique or sweet and cliché?"

"I don't know..."

"Well then..." I started, racking my brain for my knowledge of Misty, "As harsh as she seems at times, you know how much she adores romance and all that sweet goodness. And she loves water. So why not take her to the beach, have an evening candlelit picnic then admire the stars together?"

"That's awesome May!" he yelled, nearly deafening my ears. "You're the best, May!"

"I know; I'm spectacular with all this romantic stuff," I answered back. "Hope all goes well, Ash!"

"Yeah! Thanks so much! Bye! Love you buddy!"

"Love you too, buddy. Make sure you tell Pikachu I said hi!" With that, I clicked the pokegear shut.

That's when I heard Drew swallow.

He stood a few steps away from where I was, leaning against the wall. Honestly, his facial expression scared me because it was so blank. I knew he didn't feel blank and empty though; Drew was just really good at hiding his thoughts and feelings.

"So," he sneered. There was no warmth behind his voice. He was clutching something behind his back, but I couldn't tell what it was. "Talking to your boyfriend Ash I see."

"Ash is not my boyfriend-"

"Oh? Is that so?" Drew growled. His eyes flickered over to the bouquet of flowers that I'd received from the fan who'd given the dresses to Solidad and I. "I'm assuming _that_ is from Ash? Or some other boyfriend of yours I don't know about?"

"That bouquet is from a fan. You can even ask Solidad." My anger was rising up to the surface. How dare Drew make false assumptions. "And Ash is not my boyfriend! He's with Misty!"

"Well what's the "Love you too, buddy!" huh May?" His words were like knives. Drew started mimicking my voice horribly high pitched, "Oh Ashy love, I'm spectacular with romance! I just fucking kissed Drew at the ballroom dance, but who cares? Oh Ash-"

"Shut up!" I screamed. I got off the bed and closed the space between us. "I'm telling you-"

"What?" That's when Drew flipped it around. He had pinned my arms with his roughly against the wall so I was trapped between him and the wall. Drew's emerald eyes searched me the way I was searching his. They were tinged with so many emotions, but one stood out the most: hurt. "What are you telling me, May? Because I have held interest in you since the moment we'd met! By the time I'd started sending you roses, I knew I was in love with you! But it was always Ash, wasn't it?"

I could feel the tears pouring out of my eyes. "No; we're just friends. The only guy I love and will ever love is you."

"But you have played with my freaking heart!" Drew snarled. "Not just now. It's like you wanted to rub it in my face that you didn't love me and that it was a one way romance. And there you go kissing me and bringing my hopes up like nobody's business!"

"Drew, listen to me," I whimpered, though I wasn't sure why. It wasn't that I was afraid of him. I knew Drew well enough that he wouldn't hurt my physically. "I kissed you like that because I meant it. And don't deny you haven't toyed with my heart either! You sent me roses, and treated me like shit! And you knew how I felt about you!"

"No, I didn't. And I don't even know now. Do you actually love me?" he asked. I nodded, unable to speak. Drew pushed himself off the wall. "Yeah, whatever. I'm leaving."

He turned and left without looking back. But before I heard the click of the door shutting, he threw a rose into my room so it landed beside me.

It had a note on it. It read, "I love you, May."

That's when I really started to cry.

* * *

><p>Sad &amp; long chapter. This was actually one of the first chapter's I'd planned writing.<p>

My other contestshipping story which some of you have read, **"Open Up Your Eyes, Good Girl."** has become a **two-shot**. Yes, I'd intended for it to only have one chapter but I added another one. Check it out!

Now question of the chapter (starting this to see YOUR opinions): If you were in May's position, heartbroken because of a misunderstanding, what would you do?

Leave me review :)!


	7. Going Downhill

_Recap: Drew got angry and jealous because he heard May talking to on the phone with Ash. He storms out of her room, after leaving a rose with a note that read "I love you, May"._

_Two chapters ago, a grunt was speaking through a secret earpiece. She was speaking of a plan that involved Giovanni and the captain of the cruise. Keep this in mind when you read this chapter. Enjoy!_

* * *

><p><strong>Drew Pov.<strong>

I couldn't go back to my room, for two reasons. For one, I didn't want to scare my Pokémon with my nasty feelings. They weren't a part of my anger and didn't need to be. I considered taking Absol who was in the pokeball in my pocket back to my room, but he wouldn't have been very happy there. The other factor stopping me from returning me to my room was the distance between our rooms. May's room was right beside mine, meaning a few things. One, there are chances we would hear each other. Two, it would be tempting to return to her room. And besides, I needed somewhere far where I could cool off some steam.

The first location of the cruise that came to mind was the deck. There wasn't likely going to be any people there either, because it was already past eight o'clock.

I was right. When I'd arrived, not a single soul was in sight. I stumbled over to a bench and sat down, cupping my face in my palms.

_What an idiot I am, _I thought. I pulled my hair in frustration, and I could feel my eyes swelling up with tears daring to spill. _May probably was telling the truth. I shouldn't have lost control. I'm so sorry, May._

Jealousy was a weakness of mine, and it was a good thing it didn't come very often. I was usually happy with myself, and I never became jealous that someone had something I did not. However, May was another story. With her, I wanted _all _of her love. Like that Abba song I'd once heard somewhere. _Lay All Your Love on Me_it was called. The whole song was about how they wanted their significant other's love all to themselves. That's how I felt, only when it was May.

"The hell!" I shouted when I felt a sudden tap on my shoulder. I had been so lost in my thoughts I hadn't been paying attention to my surroundings. A petite woman with short, pink hair that barely reached her shoulders was staring down on me. Something about her was familiar, but I just couldn't put a finger on it.

"The pokegear. It's been ringing for quite the time, shouldn't you answer it?" she asked stiffly. She was a stranger to me, and I had no idea why she was speaking to me. But I knew she was right. I pulled my pokegear out of my pocket and hit the call button.

It was Solidad. When she heard my voice, she immediately started badgering me with questions, but I pushed them aside. I already felt like crap, and didn't need the questions to make me feel any worse. Sensing that I was avoiding to answer her, Solidad changed the topic. She asked if I was stable enough to do her a favor. When I told her I was, she said, "Are you sure Drew? You don't seem so fit... It's just Harley and I really wanted to spend a bit of alone time together. I just remembered that the Playzone daycare where Charlie is only is open till nine. Can you pick him up around then? We'll pick Charlie up from you around ten-ish."

"That's fine, Solidad," I told her as kindly as possible. I heard her sigh and thank me. "No problem. It'll help me take my mind off things. I like the kid, anyways. See you at ten."

When the line died, I shoved my pokegear into the safety of my pocket and turned to the young lady who had spoken to me. She stood awkwardly a few feet from the bench, studying me carefully.

"So..." I started, and she flinched from the sound of my voice. I wasn't sure why. Was she expecting me to be dangerous? That wouldn't have been a surprise, considering how angry and dark I was. "I'm sorry that I seem like some scary, angry guy. I just have a few things going on in my mind."

"That beautiful brunette girl that you were dancing with, I suppose?" she asked lightly. She must have seen the hurt on my face because she quickly apologized. "I'm sorry. I saw you at the ballroom, dancing together. I thought you two looked really sweet."

"We were... until I did something stupid. But that's none of your business."

"I know," she answered softly. For a minute, we were both silent. The pink haired lady stared up at the night sky, shimmering with millions of stars. I thought we were going to have a fine, calm moment when she suddenly leaped up in surprise. From her sudden motion, I saw a little device fall from her ear. _An earpiece. _She scrambled around the deck to retrieve it and attach it back to her ear. She whimpered into what I now noticed was a little device attached to the neckline of her black shirt. "B-b-boss I am s-so s-sorry for not paying attention to y-y-your constant attempts to c-c-contact me..."

I heard angry shouts from the earpiece. I turned away, zoning out their conversation. I was not one to eavesdrop. Until something caught my attention.

"...I'm sure the captain will be in position soon, sir. I saw him leave the ballroom," I heard her say. It was all very suspicious. There was a plan going on for sure. _But what? _"Yes, sir. I will contact you soon."

It was then when she remembered I was there. Her eyes went wide in fear. "How much did you hear, boy?"

"What are you planning with the captain in position?" I snapped back. I stood up off the bench and neared toward her. "Something isn't right. Tell me, or I'll report you."

"I can't tell you," she whispered, looking away. That's when I knew why she looked familiar; her hairstyle. It was short, cropped and pink like all Team Rocket Grunt females had. She must have notice my recognition because she sped up her talking. "But I will tell you this. Treasure your love, treasure it. Appreciate what you have because it could all be gone someday. That can be today."

"What do you mean?" Everything about the situation screamed bad, but I needed to know what she meant. "Tell me-"

"I'm sorry," she said with finality. The Team Rocket Grunt turned away and I reached out to grab her, but she was one step ahead of me. She bent low and kicked me in the shin, only hard enough to slow me down and lose my balance. I saw her run to the railings of the deck and jump off the ledge. But I didn't hear a splash from her landing in the water. I ran over to wear she jumped, but by the time I'd leant over the railing to see where she'd went, she was gone.

* * *

><p><strong>May Pov. <strong>

"Don't worry guys. I'm fine!" I said weakly, pulling on what barely passed as a smile. But my Pokémon saw right through me. They were my best friends after all, and they had seen me in some of my darkest times. Especially Blazekin, who had been there for me since the first day of my adventure. Glaceon curled up beside me on the bed, looking up at me with concern. I patted her on the head. "I'm okay, really. As Dawn always says, no need to worry!"

If only I believed my own words.

I was so upset, not only at Drew for his quick and false judgement, but at myself. I hadn't even bothered to change out of my gown. I knew Drew was sensitive about Ash, he had always been. When I was travelling with Ash, Drew would always give him the dirtiest possible looks and spoke rudely to him even if Ash hadn't done anything wrong. _I should have been more careful, _I thought looking down at my hands. They were still curled into fists around the rose Drew had thrown me.

Beside me, I felt Glaceon stir. No longer was her head resting on her paws. Glaceon's sensitive diamond-like ears were up and twitching in alert while her eyes narrowed in concentration. I heard her growl as she stood up and paced over to the door, listening to a sound that wasn't audible to me.

Soon a few of my other Pokémon also started acting up, and to my surprise, included Munchlax. He woke up from his power nap on the loveseat in front of the window and started rummaging through my bag of Pokémon food. I expected him to start feasting, when he did something quite out of his character. Instead of eating the food, he closed the bag shut and swung it over his shoulder for him to carry.

"Guys? Is there something wrong?" I asked. Whatever was causing my Pokémon to have suspicious behavior was not affecting me at all, so I had absolutely no idea why they were acting so strange. I didn't hear anything strange, nor did I feel anything strange. But they must have, because suddenly, Glaceon leaped up and started clawing at the door. At the same moment, Beautifly flew over to Glaceon's aid.

And opened the door for her.

Glaceon sprinted out of the room with Beautifly right behind her tail. I shoved myself off of the bed and started to run after them, but I paused at the door and turned to Blazekin. "I need you to stay here to watch over. If Venusaur or Wartortle ever come out of their pokeballs, tell them I'll be back!"

Blazekin nodded, but I saw it took every part of him to stay. He was always the center of the action so it must have hurt him to stay behind. Then he nodded toward the door, motioning me to leave.

I ran barefoot down the corridor, stumbling and tripping over my dress along the way. I cursed as my dress caught on something in my path and tore a slightly, but kept on running until I stopped at a fork. There were three optional halls to go to, each leading to opposite sides of the cruise.

"Oh no... I don't know which way they could have gone," I muttered, my eyes darting from hall to hall. That's when I heard an unhuman scream. An icy chill rushed down my spine the moment I realized they were the agonized cries of Glaceon. No longer was I only worried for Glaceon and Beautifly, I was starting to fear the safety of the whole cruise. There was something dangerous happening.

And boy was I right.

* * *

><p>Hi guys! Finally a quick update. Hurray Hungryhippo1000!<p>

First off, many of you guys didn't like Drew being so stupid. And I'm sorry about that, but I didn't want to make him the 'perfect guy'. And well, we all know that Drew thinks he's perfect in this story, so I wanted to change that up a bit. I'm sorry if you guys didn't like that ._. I thought it would make things interesting, personally.

Now, at first I was thinking of going the easy way and just sinking the ship with the iceberg. That would have been a lot simpler. But I thought I would make things a bit more Pokemon-ish. Now I'm really stuck on whom I shall kill... mwaahahaha... so the next update will not be as quick. And I apologize if you were really looking forward to the exact plot of the Titanic. I may add bits and parts from the movie, but it will not be exact.

Leave me a review :)


	8. Domino

_Recap: Drew finds out that the strange pink haired lady was a member of team rocket, planning something to do with the captain of the Dragonair Cruise and possibly everyone else on board. _

_May's Pokémon, especially Glaceon, were acting suspicious towards something May couldn't hear. When Glaceon and Beautifly ran out the door, May followed them. At one point she lost them, until she heard Glaceon's cries of pain. _

* * *

><p><strong>Drew Pov.<strong>

Sweat was dampening my forehead as I ran as fast as my legs carried me to May's room. The speed I was going at was beyond my limits, and the only push that drove me to run that fast was panic and fear for May.

Somewhere near I heard a blood chilling cry of a familiar Pokémon, but I knew I didn't have the time to stop and check. As much as I hated admitting it to her, May and I worked really well together. Our styles of battling didn't clash, and fit rather well. So if something really bad was indeed happening, I needed her help. Badly.

When I arrived, nothing seemed out of place, which took away my worry for her safety. Nonetheless, I banged and her door. "Open up May! I know you're upset... And I'm really sorry. But we can't waste any time!"

No reply. Absolute silence. I groaned, because this was such a May thing. It was so like her to pretend to not have heard me. But I also knew that by the second knock she would reply. She always did.

"Come on May, I'm serious. Team Rocket on this cruise, and I think they've got something planned with the captain! Open the door, May. If it weren't for the circumstances, I would give you the best damn apology you have ever heard," I pleaded. And I, Drew Hayden, never pleaded. "Please May..."

I saw the doorknob turn, and the door creaked open a tad. What surprised me was that it wasn't May that opened the door. It was her Blaziken.

"Blaziken... I need to see May," I told him. He shook his head and pointed down the hall I'd run from. Did he not understand that this was an emergency? "Blaziken, I'm not going to leave. I think you know how stubborn I am, buddy."

He grunted in what I guessed was agreement. We both knew that I was stubborn as May, if not more. He let me rush past him into her room. It looked almost exactly the same as it had been before, with the exception of someone missing.

"Where... where is she? M-May?" I said, stumbling on my words. Out of sheer panic, I searched throughout the whole room for her. Even the stupidest places like in the fridge. _What the hell are you doing Drew, you are the veggie head here, not May. She wouldn't be in the fridge! _When I was searching in the bathroom for any hint of her, I caught my reflection in the mirror. Everything about me was as fine as it was only hours ago when I left to meet May at the ball. My face however, was an exception. I was still handsome as always, but I was lacking the pride and grace I always held so high. In its place was now fear, and distress. I looked so lost.

As I stared into my reflection, Blaziken came into view beside me. He tapped me on the shoulder and pointed out the door.

"You want me to leave?" I asked. Blaziken shook his head, and walked soundlessly toward May's little orange pouch she almost always had tightly strapped around her waist. He picked it up off the floor and shoved it into my hands. Inside were May's six pokeballs, four of which were empty. Only Venusaur's and Wartortle were occupied. "What..? I don't get it, Blaziken."

"Blaze, blaziken blaze blaze," I heard him mutter to himself. Blaziken started toward the door, stopped and turned around to look directly at me. _Are you coming or not? _He seemed to be asking. Carrying May's pouch securely in my hands, I followed him out the door with May's Munchlax waddling along with a backpack behind me.

Before going anywhere too far, I stopped May's Pokémon to go to my room. I couldn't leave all of my Pokémon in there. I quickly rounded up my Pokémon into their pokeballs, even Roserade. I could tell she didn't really want to, but I was worried for her safety. At least in her pokeball she would be somewhat safe.

Blaziken and I began running down the hall, with no sense of where May was. I had returned Munchlax to him pokeball, which I'd found stored in the orange pouch. He too wanted to stay out, but we all knew he would slow us down. And we didn't have any time to spare.

"Do you have any idea where she went?" I asked Blaziken. He shook his head as we turned a corner. I was surprised she'd left Blaziken behind and taken her Glaceon and Beautifly with her wherever she'd gone, and hadn't told Blaziken where she'd gone off to. "Well we have to keep looking for her, I have a sick feeling in my gut-"

An ear piercing scream sliced through the air.

This time, I knew it belonged to a human.

And the most sickening part of it was that it was May's.

* * *

><p><strong>May Pov. <strong>

I ran down the hall where I'd heard Glaceon's pained cries. There were a few "Do Not Enter; Captain's Privacy" signs, but I ignored them. No stupid sign was going to stop me from getting to my Pokémon.

I only stopped when I arrived next to a room where the sound had definitely come from. The door wasn't fully shut and was only open enough for me to peek in, as if it were daring me to enter. My heart was pounding against my chest, even more than when I'd danced with Drew earlier.

I peered through the tiny space between the door and the doorframe and almost cried out then and there. Glaceon and Beautifly were tied up and guarded by two gruesome looking Houndours, along with the captain of the cruise. Beautifly was limp and unconscious, leaning against Glaceon, but I could tell she was still alive by the way her chest was rising and falling. Glaceon was growling at the Houndours beside her, even if she knew she stood no chance against both of them.

"...I don't know what you're talking about! Let these Pokémon and I be!" the captain yelled. A merciless laugh broke out, and the back of a tiny girl with blonde curls came into my view.

"Oh you know, dear Captain, you know exactly what I'm talking about." The voice of the high pitched girl did not suit her dark tone. She paced around the room, revealing her outfit. I recognized it instantly. _Team Rocket. _On her black cropped vest was a large "R". Matching tight white and red skirt were knee-high boots, elbow length gloves, and a hat. She kept on pacing, the heels of her boots clicking against the marbled floor. "This is _so _a waste of my time. I mean, I understand that Giovanni thinks I'm better for the job than Proton and Archer, but really? This is so... Oh my. _This _will be interesting. Grunt, can you please get the door and what's peeking in behind it?"

Before I got the chance to react, the door swung open and out came who I guessed was the grunt. She had cropped pink hair, and she was wearing something similar to what I'd seen Jesse wear. And she was so fast. Before I even got the chance to start moving away, she'd tackled me to the floor.

We wrestled on the floor for a few seconds, but like Glaceon, I had no chance. This grunt was too experienced for me. Every move I would make, she would be one step ahead. Finally, she had me pinned to the floor and had tied up my wrists and my ankles.

"Sorry... I have to do this," the Grunt whispered in my ear. I was surprised to hear sadness behind her words. I thought _all _grunts enjoyed their job, working for Team Rocket. "I am so, so sorry."

"Well, now that you have come to join us... Welcome," the blond girl said savagely once I'd entered the room. After walking over to securely lock the door shut, she kicked me hard toward my Pokémon, causing me to stumble and fall over beside them. She leant right up to my face. "Hello there, little girl. Who might you be? Surely you are the owner of these pitiful, little Pokémon. You too are quite pitiful, I must say."

"Little girl? Look who's talking," I snarled. I was completely defenseless. All my pokeballs were in my orange pouch, which I just _had _to leave behind in my room. Glaceon and Beautifly were in no condition to battle, and the Captain was tied up, just as I was. The only defense I had were my words, if that were considered a defense at all. I sat up straight, in hope that would make me seem a little more confident than I really was. "And yes, they are my perfect Pokémon. Pity you don't have anything to do rather than pick on others."

"You think you're funny, don't you?" she said, her dark purple eyes laughing with amusement and annoyance. Putting her thumb under my chin so I'd meet her eyes, she leant in even close so there was barely any space between us. "But humor is not going to help you, girlie. Because you and this whole damn cruise is going bye bye. Ask the captain."

I turned to face the captain, whose face had paled. There was sweat glistening on his forehead, dampening some of his grey hairs. But he too straightened up from where he was sitting, attempting to show bravery. "No, it isn't. I demand that you leave this cruise at once! There is _nothing _here for you''

''And how are you going to make us leave, old man?'' she asked, silencing the Captain. Satisfied, the girl stood up and walked over to the grunt who'd tackled me. The Grunt looked up in alarm when she realized the blonde was staring down at her. ''Go get the device, you scum. And don't touch it with your bare hands; wear gloves. A grunt isn't worthy of handling things that are _elite_.''

''Yes, Miss Domino,'' the Grunt answered, her voice monotone. I didn't think the grunt had said anything wrong, but apparently she had. The moment she'd turned around Domino, the blonde girl, kicked her hard enough to knock her over. The grunt gasped in pain.

"How dare you say my name in front of the captives," Domino raged, she kicked the grunt once more. The grunt bit her lip from crying in pain. "I despise dealing with lower ranks like you, yet I am taking the time to. So maybe you should use some of those brain cell under that thick pink hair of yours. Now go and get the device!"

"Maybe you should use some of those brain cells under your thick blond hair," I sneered, causing both Domino and the grunt to turn. Domino's attitude was absolutely despicable, and it sent my blood curling with rage. The grunt's eyes widen in fear, and I could tell it was for me. However, after being told again to leave by Domino, the grunt scurried out of the room. Domino walked back toward us. She pulled out a dark tulip from her pocket, a menacing smile curling on her lips. I laughed. "What are you going to do with a tulip?"

"This," she said, releasing the flower from her hand so it landed directly on me. At first, the tulip did nothing. Then I screamed as a sudden jolt of electricity went through me.

It was excruciating pain, pain I'd never experienced. Ever. It was like I was on fire, literally burning. Or like needles were jabbing into my flesh. By the end of it, I was shaking so much I wasn't even able to keep myself up.

"Good, stay quiet. I like you better that way. Now where was I... oh yes, the Captain. I was talking to you until this girl interrupted me," Domino said calmly, as if I hadn't just been electrocuted. "You are right, old man. We members of Team Rocket definitely _don't _have anything to gain from taking this ship. But unless we do, we definitely have something to lose."

I saw the Captain's sea green eyes flicker for a moment, before he locked his eyes on Domino's again.

"I know you found the location to our headquarters, Captain. And we can't have intruders, oh no, we can't. Giovanni would not like that very much," Domino whispered, leaving us hanging on her every word. She twirled another tulip in her hand. "No, not at all. And I also know you were trying to make a detour there, hoping that maybe some strong Pokémon Trainers would help defeat us. Isn't that right?"

The captain didn't need to answer her question. You could tell by his shaking that she was, unfortunately, correct.

"Please..." the captain hushed, his voice filled with sadness. He was shaking just as I was, if not more. "Please, let us go. Let the people of this cruise go. I will not tell _anyone_."

"Liar. Like you would just walk away when you _know _where one of the most wanted forces of evil are hiding," Domino snarled, and I had to admit, she _did _have a point. For years, the police officers had been searching for this specific group of Pokémon hunters. The only trace of them the officers had found were Jesse and James, and those two didn't help much on either side. It was not an opportunity to let go. "You two are _so _pathetic. Captain thinks he's going to save the cruise with his itty bitty "promise" not to tell about our secret, and our little girl here thinks she's oh so tough. I should have electrocuted you at a higher voltage; your screams would have satisfied me even more-"

Her sentence was cut by the door slamming open. Or falling open, to be correct. Smoke clouded around the entrance of the room until three distinct figures appeared. Blaziken, Absol...

...And Drew.

* * *

><p>I hope there was no confusion in this chapter! If so, please let me know. Just to make it clear, the whole Team Rocket business was just some stuff I added in because I didn't want to just sink the cruise with an iceberg.<p>

I know... I'm leaving so many cliff hangers. :D but that leaves you on the edge of your seat, and it keeps me looking forward to writing more.

Hope you liked it! It stretched out a little too long for my liking, but I didn't want it any shorter. More action to come ;) But again, this will take a while... I'm very busy.

Review!


	9. The Start of an Ending

_Recap: Drew arrived at the scene, with Absol and Blaziken, where May was captures by Domino of Team Rocket. Accompanying May were her Beautifly and Glaceon, the Captain of the Cruise, and the Grunt that Drew had met. The Grunt had left the room to retrieve a "device" _

Note: Remember, this story is **rated "T"** for teens. That means there WILL be some teen content. That includes **violence, death**, and **some coarse language**. You have been warned.

* * *

><p><strong>Harley Pov.<strong>

It was nice, finally having a chance to really relax with Solidad one on one. With Charlie, it was always about him. Not that it was really a bad thing; I loved my son to pieces. But with a baby there, it was always hard to focus on only Solidad.

The ballroom dance was amazing, and I was so thankful that Drew and May had been there to do us a favor by picking Charlie up from play zone.

"Wasn't the dance just wonderful?" Solidad asked, sounding the most relaxed I'd heard in a while. I nodded in agreement, staring off ahead into the sunset. We were on the deck, a perfect, abandoned area of the cruise for the two of us. She was snuggled up against me, her body fitting nicely in my arms. I tucked a loose strand of coral hair behind her ear.

"You look exceptionally beautiful tonight, Solibabe," I whispered. She smiled, closed her eyes, and rested her head softly on my chest. "Charlie should be proud to have you as a mother."

"If only the mother could compare to how perfect the father is," Solidad mumbled into my shirt. A grin stretched across my face. Although it was quite cheesy, I felt the moment was just beautiful. Most couples, from what I'd heard of, didn't stay so romantic after the first couple of years. But our romance stayed strong. Of course, there were ups and downs, but we stayed in love. Solidad opened her eyes and looked up at me. "You think he's okay? Charlie?"

"Of course. You trust them, don't you, Hun?"

She smiled. "I do."

* * *

><p><strong>Drew Pov.<strong>

Absol growled in front a door with a "Do Not Enter; Captain's Privacy." sign plastered to it. I didn't doubt Absol's senses; I too had a feeling May was in there.

"We've got to get in there..." I uttered to myself. I tried the doorknob, to find it locked. "Shit..."

There was nothing near me that would help me open the door. Or so I thought.

Apparently Absol and Blaziken had come upon a plan of some sort, because in a synchronized motion, both sent their strongest attacks against the door. I saw bursts of bright light, followed by a loud bang and a cloud of dust. Instead of opening the door, they'd destroyed it.

Absol looked me in the eye. _Are you coming_, he seemed to be asking. I nodded, following the two Pokémon ahead of me...

...To discover a not so lovely surprise.

May was, as expected, in the room. However, she was not in the condition I wanted her in. Tied up along with the Captain and her Pokémon, Beautifly and Glaceon, May was on the floor. Though I didn't see any injuries, she was in no doubt pain. Her breathing was fast, and she was biting her lip. But those sapphire eyes went from hurt to hopeful when they landed on me. I didn't hear a sound, but her mouth opened as if to say my name.

"Well well... What do we have here? A hero? Well I must say you did I fine job destroying the property, but your success will end here."

I whipped my head around to face a girl. Blond curls framed her face and she could have looked like a lifesize porcelain doll, if it weren't for her Team Rocket outfit and her menacing grin. She took a stride toward me, her heels clicking on the floor. I snarled. "Let go of them at once, you bitch."

"What colorful language you have," she laughed, unaffected by my words. My Pokémon and I started toward her, but I stopped them when she pulled a small pistol out of her pocket. She pointed it toward us. "But the name is Domino, not bitch."

"Drew... Get out of here..." May cried, forcing her words out. She looked me dead in the eye. "Go... Save yourself..."

"Well would you look at that," Domino chortled, as she paced toward them. She stroked a downright gruesome looking Houndour delicately on the head. "Little brunette here thinks this green headed boy isn't strong enough to save her, so she's telling him to leave. Isn't that sweet, Houndour?"

Houndour howled in agreement. Absol tensed beside me, a low growl forming at his throat. He was staring at the figure Houndour was guarding, which happened to be Glaceon.

"Oh? What is this disgusting aroma I smell... love?" sneered Domino. She let out a high pitched laugh, before continuing. "I finally get it. You, vegetable, came for this pathetic brunette. Pity, since you're actually decent looking. And your Absol here is for the Glaceon. Houndour, do your thing."

The Houndour howled again. He was pure evil, just as its master was. I'd never seen a Pokémon who enjoyed hurting others so much. Houndour shot a look at Absol, and immediately bit into Glaceon's side. Glaceon yelped in pain, and then moaning as the Houndour's lethal teeth sunk deep into her flesh. This was too much for Absol.

He leaped from my side, attacking the Houndour. There was nothing holding him back. Not even Domino put a finger on the two dog-like Pokémon's fighting. She seemed too amused by the situation.

Within a minute, both were panting for their lives. If a Pokémon could smirk, the Houndour sure was. Though he was as tired and beat up as Absol was, his arrogance made him feel as if it were no doubt he was going to win. And that is when he did a stupid move. The Houndour thought it would be a clever idea to taunt Absol further by hurting the poor Glaceon again. And for Houndour, that was not a clever move. Not at the slightest. Because Absol, enraged, used the last of his strength to defeat Houndour enough to knock him unconscious.

Absol limped toward Glaceon, nudging her head. Glaceon lifted her head to meet his eyes with her watering ones. _I should have known they loved each other._Absol licked her wound, comforting her. It was such a... romantic scene. Yes, romantic indeed.

"As touching as this moment is, I'll have to end it," Domino snarled, as her eyes hovered quickly over her unconscious Houndour. She pointed the pistol at Absol. "...Now."

"Get out of there Absol!" I yelled, but a moment too late. Absol widened his eyes, knowing his fate, but the trigger was already pulled. He dropped to the floor in front of our eyes. Dead.

"Glaceon... Glace!" May's Glaceon cried, and tears were forming trickling down her pale face. She nudged Absol with her snout, but he didn't budge. Her diamond ears fell. "...Glaceon..."

"Well, _that _was simple. I should have used this baby long before," Domino mused, admiring the pistol in her hand. She took her attention off the weapon when a figure slipped into the room. I recognized her instantly, as did Domino.

* * *

><p><strong>May Pov.<strong>

Everything was happening too fast.

A Pokémon's death was something new to me. Pokémon were living creates, and like humans, they did not live forever. It was an accepted fact. But to see Absol die so young... when he had years ahead of him to live happily, fighting alongside Drew... loving Glaceon...

Tears were daring to flow from my eyes, but I held them in. It was not the moment to cry. I needed to be strong, needed to get my loved ones on the Cruise out of this situation. _I will grieve later..._

"You," Drew snarled suddenly. I looked up from Absol's lifeless body to Drew, who was glaring ahead of him. I followed his glare until my eyes landed on the pink haired Grunt who'd left the room to retrieve of the 'device'. She looked surprised, seeing Drew. _I wonder if they've met before. _Drew took a step forward toward her, hands balled into fists. His voice was shaking with anger. "I can't believe you! You told me to treasure my love, just so you could stab me in the fucking back!"

She flinched under Drew's yell and deathly gaze. I would have shriveled into mini-May if I'd been in her position, too.

"I see you two have met," Domino noted once Drew had stopped talking. She turned to the Grunt. "Pass me the device." The Grunt nodded, shaking violently as she handed Domino the device. Many wires were sticking out of it and it looked quite complex. Beside me, the Captain sucked in his breath. Domino noticed the Captains reaction, and her grin widened. "Well, the Captain has noticed what this wonderful thing is, haven't you?"

"A bomb," The old man whispered. Drew and I exchanged glances. He swallowed. "Please... don't hurt the people on the cruise. They have done _nothing _to Team Rocket. Kill me with that pistol and the secret of where your base is will die with me. Only I know of it. Please."

Domino considered his words for a moment, before shaking her head. "Nice try, old man. But with the destroyed door, the kidnapped Pokémon, and all the possible evidence for the police we have left in this room, there is no way we can just walk away."

"Come over here, Grunt," Domino said, her pistol raised, threatening the Grunt to do as she wanted. The Grunt did as her master commanded of her, and walked to where Domino said. "I once promised you your freedom, didn't I? Well you'll finally have your freedom."

"R-really, Miss D-Domin-n-no?" the Grunt asked, her voice filled with both hope and fear.

"Yes. But not in the way you're thinking of." And with that, another trigger was pulled.

The Grunt fell to the floor, blood gushing from her wound. But unlike Absol, there was still a little life left in her. It seemed Domino had made sure of that, because she'd shot the Grunt in the stomach where death would not come instantly. Domino chained her to the bomb, and pressed a few buttons on it. She laughed, her voice filled with pure evil. "There you go, Grunt. Your freedom will come in ten minutes, exactly when this baby will blow up.

"Well... nice meeting the rest of you," Domino said sarcastically. From a distance, I heard the rumbling sound of a helicopter flying by. She returned her Houndour to her pokeball, and shot us a final grin. "Time for me to go. Enjoy your _explosive _experience!"

"Get back here you-" Drew started, but Domino had disappeared, only a tulip and a cloud of smoke left where she'd been standing.

* * *

><p>Hey! Sorry for the long awaited update!<p>

I hope this story has gotten exciting for you ^^! I'm not very good at writing action filled scenes, so I hoped they were at least satisfactory. I wanted to revise it more, but at the same time, I was really eager to finally update this story. The next chapter is almost finished, so the next update SHOULD be within two weeks, depending on if how much I like it.

Press that little "Review" button for me won't you ;)? I love reading them, and they _do _inspire me to write.


	10. Freedom and Evacuation

_Recap: Domino left the cruise after leaving a bomb, set to explode ten minutes since her departure. The Grunt, after being shot by Domino, was tied to the bomb itself. _

_Charlie is still at the Playzone, waiting for Drew and May to pick him up._

* * *

><p><strong>Drew Pov.<strong>

As soon as my head was back in the game, I quickly bent down to attempt to release May and the Captain.

"Drew, there's no use," May sighed, cringing I tugged on the cuffs on her wrists. She looked down at the floor. "Save yourself. Get people off of the cruise, Drew. You're wasting time."

"There is no way in hell I'm leaving you here, May," I told her. I was determined to leave the cruise without anyone harmed. "I've already lost Absol," I muttered, fighting the tears. "I'm not losing you."

"But Drew-"

"The shelf... Over there..." a hoarse voice gasped desperately. Everyone turned their attention to the Grunt. You could barely tell she was conscious, lying in her own pool of fresh blood. The only visible evidence of life was the slight rising and falling of her chest. "The key ... Handcuffs... Green one..."

Blaziken rushed over to said location and began rummaging through piles of useless junk until he found a key ring with multiple keys dangling down. One neon green key hung from the ring, and he handed it to me. Just as the Grunt said, I used the key to help free May and the Captain from their shackles and handcuffs.

Although I had every reason to hate the Grunt, I walked over to her lying figure to free her, too.

"Don't...bother..." she panted, struggling for her breath. She forced her head up so her eyes locked on mine. "Domino has... the key."

"But we can't just leave you, that wouldn't be right!" May murmured from behind me. I could hear the sounds of her delicate sniff, and it took every cell of mine to not turn around and pull her into my arms. "It wasn't your choice, Gru-"

"Alyssa... Not Grunt," she choked out, and a weak smile stretched across her face. "I'm free from Team Rocket now... No more 'Grunt'" Her eyed fluttered closed, but she opened her mouth once again. "Can you... Do me... A favor?"

"Of course, what is it?" I asked her. It was no surprise that she was going to die. As depressing as it was, we all knew it was only a matter of time. "What is it that you would like?"

"Two things," she told me. Her voice was barely audible at that point, and I had to lean toward her so that I was able to hear her words. "First... pass me that. The purple bag..."

"This?" May was holding a little pouch, almost the size of a cookie. She held it up for Alyssa to see. Alyssa eyed it carefully before nodding her head. May crouched next to me so she was able to hand it to Alyssa. "What else do you need?"

"Be there... for each other." She put her left hand on mine, and her right on top of Drew's. She looked us both carefully in the eye. "You love... each other... stay that way... for me." After taking her hands off of us, she blindly opened her little purple pouch. Sliding in her shaking fingers, she pulled out a tiny little pill. Alyssa closed her eyes. "Finally... freedom. I will see you soon... Love." With that, she forced the pill down her throat and swallowed.

And only moments later did the rising and falling of her chest stop.

May was sobbing next to me, uncontrollably. True, Alyssa had been a member of Team Rocket. We had barely known her, and had only learnt her name a minute before her end. But her final words had an impact on us. Not only her words. Alyssa herself had an impact on us.

"Come on, May," I said, pulling her up gently. "We have to get going. We need to warn the others." I glanced at the timer on the bomb. We only had approximately eight minutes until the thing blew up. "Come on, we don't have much time."

* * *

><p><strong>May Pov.<strong>

After Alyssa took the pill, I just lost it.

Too much happened that night. The fight between Drew and I, Absol and Alyssa's death, and the bomb to top it off. It was all too much. But I knew there was more to come.

I hated crying in front of people. It made me feel weak and pitiful. And I hated pity. But crying in front of Drew made me feel like a despicable human being.

"Come on, May," he said, and I felt his arms gently help me off the ground. Only Drew would be perfectly fine after the traumatic events. _Or maybe he isn't fine. _I looked into his eyes, and like always, his eyes told all. He definitely wasn't okay. "We have to get going. We need to warn the others." I nodded, agreeing with his logic. Of course we needed to warn the others. "Come on, we don't have much time."

"I agree with you to the fullest," the Captain said, pushing himself off the ground. I had completely forgotten he was there. I saw him brush the dust off of his pants. "I must thank you for saving us. And though we have lost some valuable people and Pokémon, we can only grieve when it is time. For now, I suggest you return these two Pokémon of yours."

I couldn't have agreed more. But the problem was, I _didn't _have my pokeballs on me. I'd left them in the room, inside the orange pouch I always carried with me.

"Here," Drew said, holding out the exact pouch I was thinking of. I raised my eyebrows, but he shook his head. "Questions can be answered later. For now, we just have to get out of here."

"Right."

"Ready to go?" Drew asked, and both the Captain and I nodded. "I'll take the basement, the Captain can take this floor, and May, you cover the porch. We need to warn as many people as possible. Do you have any emergency procedures for us, Captain?"

"The crew will know what to do," the old man said. Like Drew, he was determined to save the cruise. But I could tell the events had aged him. Only a few hours ago he'd been perfectly lively. Old, but lively. However, after the whole Domino incident, he'd instantly lost the life in him. You could tell the guilt was killing him.

"Great," Drew replied back, unknowing of the thoughts running through my head. He gave us all a nod. "We've got seven minutes till it explodes. Now go!"

* * *

><p><strong>May Pov.<strong>

"We need to evacuate the Cruise! There's been a bomb set to-"

"What do you think _you_are doing, girl?" a voice thundered from behind me. A tall, muscular security guard loomed over me. "Yelling crazy little-"

"I'm _not _crazy!" I shouted back in aggravation. Did he not the see the desperate state I was in? "Team Rocket invaded the ship and has placed a _bomb _that could explode _anytime soon _on the cruise! We need to get people out of here."

"How am I to know it's not a stupid stunt?" he sneered, his eyes flickering toward the crowd of people that had surrounded us. "You have caused an unneeded commotion."

"Sir! I'm not lying! Team Rocket actually-"

"It's true what she's saying, Bruce."

Bruce, the annoying security guard, turned his attention to another member of the Cruise. The new crew member had her hands on her hips. "I just spoke to the Captain. We need to start the evacuation procedure A, _now_."

Bruce sighed, giving up the battle he'd already lost. He raised his hands. "Alright. Sorry kiddo. Kids pull stunts all the time, I had to be sure. Now go off and do _exactly _what you were doing. Send people to the back of the cruise, on the deck. From there, people will be sent on lifeboats."

"Got it," I said, jumping right back into action.

* * *

><p><strong>Drew Pov.<strong>

Surprisingly there were barely any people on the top level of the cruise, making it easy to round up the people and send them toward the destination a crew member had told me to send them.

After everyone was sent to the back deck of the cruise, I did a final round on the top level with the crew, searching to make sure nobody was left behind. We'd found a little girl who'd gotten separated from her mother, and the crew had asked me to take her to her mom while they continued searching.

To our luck, her mother had found us the moment we'd arrived to the deck. Which was amazing, considering the amount of people hustling and bustling about in that one small area. She gave me a thank you, and I nodded my head quickly, ready to leave and help the others. But a hand gripped around my arm, forcing me to stay.

"What's going on, Drew?"

It was Harley, with Solidad beside her. Guilt was starting to rise the moment I saw them. "We only heard that there's a bomb that's about to explode and that we need to evacuate. You seem to know what's happening."

"I do, but I don't have the time to explain," I told her. I felt awful for leaving them there without knowing the details, but I had no choice. "I need to go help the others."

"That's fine, but..." Solidad bit her lip. "...Where's Charlie."

Crap. How had I forgotten?

"I was _just _about to get him. I'll be right back." And I sprinted away to the Playzone, Harley's voice echoing behind me.

* * *

><p><strong>May Pov<strong>

So many people were rushing past me, shoving me to the side, while trying to reach the safety point. It saddened me to especially see little kids crying. They reminded me of my brother, Max. Thinking of him made me think of all the terrible things that could happen to break apart so many families...

"Earth to May! Are you listening to me?" A finger snapped in front of my face, and I bringing me back to reality. Emerald eyes regarded my sapphire ones, and I gulped in surprise of our closeness. He was only inches away from me. "I asked you, have you seen Charlie?"

"Charlie? No I haven't, why?" I asked, raising an eyebrow for effect. It was true; I hadn't seen him the whole time we were preparing people for evacuation.

Drew sighed and drummed his fingers on the wall behind me. I was only acutely aware that I was trapped between his body and the wall. "He's with the Playzone kids... I was supposed to pick him up a little while ago, but-"

"The Playzone? I saw the care lady escort them out with her Pokémon only a minute ago." I told him. "That way."

With that, Drew bolted down the hall, with me trailing behind him.

* * *

><p><strong>Drew Pov.<strong>

"Excuse me! Miss!"

The care lady for the Playzone turned around after the twentieth time I'd called her. She stopped the group and looked at me skeptically. "I'm sorry sir; I need to evacuate these children. I don't have time to stall-"

"But I'm responsible for Charlie, the little boy with pink hair. I'm here to take him back to his parents." She nodded at my words and immediately lined the children up against the wall and checked on her attendance list. Her face paled, confirming my fears.

"Charlie isn't here."

* * *

><p>Dundundun... Action. I hope you liked the past two chapters, because I like them. Well, one more than the other, but whatever :P<p>

Finally a quick update! Yay for readers, yay for writer. The next chapter may be a little slower, because I don't 100% know for sure how I want to end it... But next chapter won't be the last one. There will probably be another two chapters or so.

Also, I apologize for any errors. I rushed this because I'm busy the next week and wouldn't have time to update. I had no time to go over it. When I have the time, I may go over this chapter once again to make it better (like add more details into scenes, etc.)

Review! Helps inspire me = better chapter = faster update.


	11. Sinking

_Recap: After leaving Domino to rest in peace, May, Drew and the Captain begin to send people toward the back of the cruise, where the evacuation would take place. Also, Drew and May find out that Charlie is missing._

* * *

><p><strong>Drew POV<strong>.

"Go evacuate the others. It's not safe here," I said urgently to May, but as usual, she didn't budge. _Why couldn't she understand how much her safety meant to me?_ I jerked my chin toward the back of the cruise. "Go, May. Quit being stubborn."

"Quit being stubborn?" May snorted, and placed her hands on her hips. "Like you of all people should be talking about being stubborn, Mister! I am not letting you go alone; it will be faster with the two of us, anyways."

I sighed in defeat. There was no way I could get through May's thick skull, especially not with the amount of time I had left. I glanced down at my pokegear and a chill ran down my spine. I turned to May. "Well if you're coming, let's go! We've only got three minutes till the bomb explodes!"

We looked for Charlie everywhere, literally. We yelled his name, looked under tables, anywhere he could possibly be. But he was nowhere in sight. My forehead was drenched in sweat, but I didn't care to wipe it off and fix my hair. With a bomb ticking and a very important child missing, appearance was not the issue.

"Charlie! Come out, we need to get you to safety!" yelled May beside me. It must have been the hundredth time we'd called his name by that point. "Oh Charlie! It's May and Drew!"

I kept glancing down at my pokegear, counting down the minutes and seconds we had left. _1:02... 1:01... 1:00... 0:59..._

"How much longer Drew?" May asked hurriedly. We were sprinting down the hall towards the rooms near the captain's office, the only place we hadn't checked for Charlie. "Over a minute?"

"Just under a minute," I answered back, and she grimaced. Neither of us liked the situation we were in. May and I finally arrived where we'd left Domino, panting. Low on breath, I desperately called out the little boy's name again.

This time, we got a response.

"Doo? Doo!"

We heard his call from the room across the Captain's room. In the room were many gas tanks and gears ticking about. It was a wonder how he'd gotten there, but it definitely wasn't the moment to be thinking why he was there, rather than focussing on the fact that Charlie was there.

May's the first to run into the room, and she embraced Charlie with a hug. She was hugging him so tightly, and I had to force a little cough to end their reunion. May blushed when she realized that with barely any time left, hugging the boy was the not the best idea. She turned to him and said in a very stern tone, "Charlie, I need you to listen to me. We have to go. Drew and I will take you to your mommy and daddy. It's not safe here."

I wasn't sure if the youngster had any idea what May was saying, but judging by his nodding, I assumed that Charlie sensed the seriousness of her words. I scooped up the boy from the floor and jerked my head toward the door. I told May, "We have to leave now."

The three of us hurried out the door, Charlie tucked away in my arms. I could feel my arms shaking of fear. But the fear wasn't for me. It was for May. Losing her would be like losing my soul. And honestly, I'd rather be dead than soulless.

Just as we were about to make a turn leading to the staircase, I decided to glance down at my watch.

_Shit._

_0:05_...

"May," I called out desperately. "The bomb! We need to get away!"

_0:04_...

My panic reflected in her eyes. "HOW MUCH LONGER?"

"Three seconds!"

_0:02_...

"GET DOWN!" I yelled. May did as I said and I put down Charlie next to her, covering them with my own body. There wasn't enough time for us to get away. My only hope was that somehow I would be able to shield them from the impact of the bomb, however large that would be. Under me, I could feel May's heart pounding as hard as mine was.

_0:01_...

And then it went off.

* * *

><p><strong>May POV.<strong>

_I'm sorry I couldn't say goodbye, Drew._

_Because I'm dead. The ringing my ears are a sign from heaven or hell, surely. Probably hell, considering the amount of heat I feel blazing around me._

"May, get up," someone whispered by my ear. _So I'm not dead._ I felt fingers clasp on my shoulders, shaking me roughly. "Damn it, get up!"

My eyes started to flutter open, and my eyes adjusted to the sight in front of me. Only an inch away from me was Drew, his eyes filled with the most worry and panic I had ever seen. I lifted my hand to caress a scrape on his cheek. He winced at my touch. I laughed so soft I could barely hear myself. "I'm not dead?"

"No, you're not. Neither is Charlie." Charlie. How had I not noticed that there was a toddler crying next to me? Drew tore his gaze away from me and picked Charlie up off the floor with one arm. "I know you're not too fit to run at the moment, but we have to get out of here!"

It only took a second for me to register why. The explosion of the bomb had not only wrecked a portion of the cruise, but had also caused the light the cruise on fire, something most likely to do with the gas tanks that were in the room Charlie was in. The fire licked anything it touched, and the blazing heat was getting to me. My heart pounded against my chest, and at that moment I was afraid. Afraid of dying. Afraid of losing Charlie and my Pokémon.

And afraid of losing Drew.

The thought of losing him drove me into motion.

We ran. Or tried to run at the very least. Pillars of fire engulfed us, scorching our skin. At first we had Wartortle aiding us, but there was too much fire for even my great water Pokémon to handle. But we pushed on forward, fighting flames and wreckage. We kept running toward the nearest exit till Drew raised a hand for us to stop. His shoulders were shaking, and it only took me a split second to figure out why.

We had reached a dead end.

We had two options. One was to go back the way we'd come from. It was possible, but risky considering the rate at which the fire was spreading. The second option was to continue on forward. The only problem was that there was a gigantic hole in the floor between where we stood and the other side.

"We've got to go back," I said. Glancing into the hole, I saw that if we fell, we would land on the first floor which was now covered in water. Not to mention the four meter distance between us and the surface of the water. I pulled at Drew's arm and repeated that we needed to go back. "Fire's spread all the way over here, Drew. It's cornered us. And we can't get down... especially not with Charlie here. We need to get back before it gets worse."

"But May, look. If we could only get past here, we'd be able to go straight to where everyone else is," he murmured. Drew's eyes flickered around, seeking a way to get over. "If the space were a touch bigger, Flygon or Blazekin could have gotten us over."

"Rose?"

I saw absolute terror flash across Drew's face before he turned to see Roserade. Neither of us had noticed her come out of her pokeball.

"Get back in your pokeball, Roserade. Please," Drew begged, but Roserade shook her head. She was determined; I could tell by the glint in her shiny eyes.

Roserade closed her eyes. When they opened, I was suddenly hit with such a powerful force of petals. _Petal dance_. Blinded by the pink petals storming around me, I wasn't conscious of the fact that she was lifting us to the other side until I got there.

"Roserade, why..." Drew was mumbling. It was unclear to me whether he was speaking to himself or said Pokémon, who smiled sadly from the other side. Fire had caught up to her and had begun seizing Roserade as its victim. She had clearly sacrificed herself for us. But Drew was not going to let that happen.

"Go Masqerain! Get Roserade!" he yelled, throwing a pokeball into the air. It was times like this when I really appreciated his ability to work under pressure. Masqerain flew past us quickly and carried scorched Roserade to us. Drew returned Masqerain quickly after giving her a thanks.

"Why? Why did you do it?" The question was not needed to be asked; even an idiot could have figured out why Roserade risked her life for us. Drew transferred Charlie into my arms and picked up Roserade. "I could have lost you."

"I hate to break it to you but you're going to lose all of us if we don't get out of here," I told him. As much as I wanted to give them a moment and wanted to give weeping Charlie a break, I knew it wasn't the time. Our lives were on the line. "C'mon, let's go."

* * *

><p><strong>Drew POV.<br>**  
>"Charlie!"<p>

A streak of coral pink hair rushed past me, followed by purple. I turned back to see a family finally united in the midst of chaos. May stood awkwardly beside a weeping Harley. She met my gaze and came toward me, sighing. "Roserade okay?"

"Better now," I said, shifting her weight in my arms so May could see Roserade's condition. The burns were still painful for her, but I knew she would survive in terms of injuries.

"That's good," May replied as I returned Roserade to her pokeball. She fidgeted with the material of her dress, the exact one she'd worn at the ball. Burnt and torn, it was a complete mess. But May being May somehow managed to pull it off. She looked up, noticing that I was staring at her dress and grinned. "Guess I'll have to get a new dress once we get home, huh?"

I couldn't find it in myself to agree. I honestly wasn't sure if we'd even ever get to see home again. From where we stood, I could see the destruction the explosion had caused. About a quarter of the cruise near the center was a wreck. There was a hole in the cruise below the surface of the water, where I assumed the bomb had exploded.

_Ah... So that's why the cruise feels exceptionally unstable. It's sinking._

Somebody coughed with purpose behind May and I, getting our attention. Looking tired and beaten, the Captain smiled at us like it was the last thing he wanted. "Do you two have a moment?"

When we nodded, he squeezed us through a crowd of people where there were the least people. The only people near us were an elderly couple who seemed oddly cheerful despite the situation.

"I want to first thank you for saving me, as well as helping bring people here," he paused for a second to let his word of thanks sink in. "And I want to apologize, not only to you but to all of the people who have been affected by today's tragic events."

"Its fine-"

"But is it, May?" the Captain asked, so soft I almost couldn't believe he was the same man that had been laughing and grinning earlier at the ball. The Captain paced a few steps before continuing. "No, it is not. My prized cruise is sinking. Eventually it will sink so fast, too fast for us save everyone."

"Captain-"

"Let me finish," he said, shutting both May and I up instantly. "I'm an old man. I've lived a long time on the sea, I know how ships sink. At first it's barely noticeable; but then it goes down. Judging by the gigantic hole near the middle where the bomb exploded, I'm guessing that the cruise will split in half. Most of the cruise will be dragged down by the middle, you see. And unfortunately, we can't have support here for quite some time because of the distance we are from any sort of civilization."

"Not to be rude," I cut in. May shot me a piercing look, but I continued anyways. "But you didn't call us over just to tell us we're dead, did you?"

"No, not quite." _Not quite_? He must have seen through me because he gave me a weak smile. "As you might have noticed, some people have already been evacuated by small boats we have on the side of the cruise. But we don't have enough for everyone. We've tried to organize groups so that some people could go on their large flying or water type Pokémon, but even with Pokémon not everyone will make it."

"Why are you even telling us?" The words had spilled out of my mouth before I could stop myself. May smacked my arm, but I didn't bother snapping at her for hitting me. I did deserve a hit for that one.

"Because if there would be a moment to exchange any last words, this would be the time," he chuckled sadly. "Thanks for everything, you two. And... Don't bother coming after me. I will die as an honourable, proud man with my cruise."

"But Captain!" May looked like she was on the verge of tears. "You can't just-"

The captain leaned forwards and whispered something in her ear, so softly I couldn't hear a word he said. May's change of a panicked expression to a sad smile was all I got from their small conversation.

"Good bye," he said, turning his back to us. This time, May didn't object. I saw his figure disappear through the crowd of people, and I could have sworn he stood much more confidently than I had ever seen him.

Even with all of the hectic noises around us, I still heard May sniff beside me. I reached down and squeezed one of her hands.

She squeezed right back.

* * *

><p><strong>Solidad POV.<strong>

I tried not to cry. But reuniting with the most precious person in your life is something hard not to cry about.

"Don't cry baby, don't cry," mumbled Harley from beside me. But I couldn't tell who he was speaking to. We were all completely drenched in our very own tears. Even little Charlie.

I looked up from Charlie's face when a man shouldered past me toward the emergency boats. There were only two left, each able to carry approximately a dozen each. But one was already loaded and taking off to some near land, which made only twelve more spots available for people to escape by boat. However, there were still over a hundred people left on the cruise.

"Harley," I whispered, making him raise his eyes to meet mine. His soft, innocent eyes only made the sick feeling in my gut intensify. My whole body was shaking, and he had to place a hand on my arm to steady me. "There's only one boat left. And even with some people's Pokémon... I don't think... I just..."

I broke down. I, the confident and unshakable Solidad, was afraid. Afraid that Charlie wouldn't make it out alive. But what if he did? What if somehow he made it without Harley and I? What it he was adopted by some cruel foster parent?

"We'll make sure Charlie gets out alive." Harley's words had echoed my mind. He delicately wrapped an arm around ever so gently, soothing me. "Even if we somehow don't make it... At least we'll die knowing that we protected what was most important to us, right?"

"But what if he gets a horrible foster parent? What if he doesn't know how to defend himself? Harley, we were both bullied as kids. What if he get picked on as well? We only survived because we had such supportive parents! What if-"

"We'll make sure he gets to someone we know, hun. Don't you worry." It felt so weird to me that Harley was acting like such a strong father figure. Of course, he loved his son just as any perfect father would, but never had he come out as a strong center to guide the family. "Hey, you know what I think? I think that maybe I found the perfect foster parents."

I didn't even need to ask who. Following his gaze, I saw none other than our favourite pair. Their intertwined hands were like a bond holding them up together against everything that was thrown their way.

"Last call for emergency boat!" A voice through a speaker rang in our ears. "Only accepting those with minors!"

I looked at Harley and he nodded. Holding our family tightly together, we shoved through the crowd to our friends.

* * *

><p>SO SO SO SORRY. THIS UPDATE IS SO FREAKING LATE, ACCEPT MY APOLOGIES READERS. Lack of inspiration, musical, school &amp; personal problems have made me lose complete track of fanfiction.<p>

But I am back (yay!). Hopefully my next update will be soon.

This chapter was longer than my usual because I figured since I haven't updated in awhile, I might as well give you a nice and BIG update.

Let me know what you thought :) It sort of dragged on at the end, but I didn't want ALL the action in one chapter so... You'll have to wait till another update :D


	12. Family First

_Recap: After finding Charlie, Drew and May find their way through the mess the bomb has caused to Harley and Solidad. The captain had left to die with his sinking cruise. One of the cruise staff members said that there was room for one child and an adult on the escape boat._

* * *

><p><strong>Drew POV.<strong>

I'd always known Harley was crazy. But never had I ever suspected that Solidad was also a nutcase.

May seemed just as shocked by their proposition as I was. She started freaking out, saying things that made no sense whatsoever. Even Harley seemed to have no clue what May was trying to say. She grabbed my shoulders and shook them roughly. "Why aren't you saying anything about it? Don't tell me you agree with them!"

"Not all people react to these situations by spitting out anything that comes out of their mouth, you know," I replied, prying her fingers off of me. She gave a small humph and turned away, muttering something about my attitude. I shook my head and turned my attention back to Harley and Solidad. "May's right though. We can't possibly take Charlie and leave you guys behind. What would we tell the kid once he got older? That we left his parents to die because we were selfish enough to take their place?"

"We've thought this through," Solidad said sternly. "You two have such great lives ahead of you. It would be selfish for Harley and I to take that away."

"You heard them. There's only room for one of us and Charlie on that boat," I said. I looked at Charlie, who tugged loose strands of Solidad's hair. He was oblivious to the debate around him that could possibly change his life. "Either way, I'm not going. One of you three will take him. It wouldn't make any sense for it to be me."

"Which means I'm not either," May added. "Honestly, I think you should take Charlie, Solidad. Or Harley. Sure, Drew and I are matured in a sense, but we're also too young to take care of Charlie. Wouldn't you agree, Drew?"

I nodded, and I swear I saw Harley give a small nod as well. For once he was silent, only watching and listening in on the exchanges between Solidad, May and I. Quite frankly, it was weird to have a quiet Harley.

"Harley, I want you to be honest," I said. "What do_ you _think we should do?"

He pursed his lips for a second, his eyes lingering on Solidad for a split second before looking back at me. He sighed dramatically. "Well, at first I thought it was best for you guys to take Charlie. But you and May are too stubborn and in love-"

"Excuse me?" I tried to keep cool, but heat was rising to my face. May was narrowing her eyes furiously, but I saw her cheeks tinted with a splash of pink. "What's that supposed to mean?"

"Exactly what I said, Drew dear," Harley said, rolling his eyes. "But now, I think it has to be Solidad. As a kid, my mom was the only thing that kept me going, even when my dad would pester me for being different. Charlie might need someone strong, too."

Solidad was about to object, but her eyes met Harley's and she stayed silent.

"Well, I think it's settled then," May said. She smiled, though it looked pained, as she wrapped her arms around Solidad. "We'll see each other again, won't we?"

"We sure will," Solidad said, smiling through her tears. After handing Charlie to Harley, she pulled me into a hug. "Drew, I need you to promise me something."

"What's that?"

"Let go of your pride and tell May exactly how you feel. This might be your last chance, Drew," she said. She kissed me on the forehead. _Damn it, Drew._ _Don't be a baby_. I tried to rub my eyes casually as if my eyes weren't watering. "And don't forget that I love you. You're like a son to me, you know."

"I love you too, Solidad." I held one of Charlie's small hands. "And take care of this guy for me, won't you?"

"Doo Doo!" Charlie cheered back. Solidad and I laughed together before I turned away to let her speak to Harley alone.

* * *

><p><strong>Harley POV.<strong>

"Harley, I'm not even sure what to say," Solidad told me. A couple of her teardrops fell on Charlie's face, which he wiped away. "I just..."

I pulled them close to me into a hug, Solidad's head resting on my shoulder and my own cheek pressing on her head. I rubbed her back gently. "I'm going to say some really cheesy stuff, and I want you to remember it word for word. Got it Hun?"

"I'm sure I will," she said. Her eyes locked to mine. "Go on."

"Ever since I met you, I knew there was something about you that was special. I didn't know what it was then." I paused to clear a lump in my throat. "But the moment I saw Charlie cradled in your arms, it was all clear. It wasn't only your beauty and kindness that really attracted me to you... It was your ability to connect people and bring only the best out. The way you can create good, even from the worst. You showed me that I could be a better person."

"Harley, I-"

I silenced her with a kiss. As we pulled away, she said, "Harley, you were, are, and will forever be the best just being you. You're the best dad Charlie could ever have."

"I know," I answered back, hugging Charlie.

After a few more exchanges of goodbyes, I watched Solidad squeeze herself and Charlie onto the already cramped boat. As they began drifting away, Solidad smiled and cried out her final goodbye.

* * *

><p><strong>Drew POV<strong>.

Harley looked completely heartbroken. He fidgeted with a tiny photo of Solidad and Charlie he'd kept in his wallet, his thumbs caressing the picture ever so gently. I pulled May aside to allow him some time alone.

"You think he'll be okay?" May asked.

"Would he be okay? Oh gee, I wonder." May was a little dense sometimes. Hearing the sarcasm in my voice, she shot me a deathly glare. I cocked up an eyebrow. "What? We're all screwed in the end, you do realize that right? Only a miracle would get us out of here. We should be happy that Charlie gets a shot to live. Because YOLO."

May cringed. "Please tell me you did not just say YOLO."

"Well then you better get your ears checked, because I sure did."

For a moment I was able to forget about the cruise sinking, Solidad leaving, and the fact that our lives were on the line. I felt as though nothing was wrong. It was just May and I poking fun at each other like any other day. But reality slapped me in the face when the cruise snapped.

_Literally._

Half of the cruise had started to tilt, the end which we were at being lifted slightly. Like the captain had said, the hole in the middle of the cruise had somehow dragged down the cruise and the amount of pressure on the area had caused the cruise to split.

Around us, objects of all sizes were sliding across the deck. People clung onto any bit of railing they could find in order to not join the sliding objects. A box almost knocked May over, but fortunately I was quick enough to pull her out of the way.

Harley was gripping the rail beside us as he stared out into the ocean smiling. I would have labeled him a maniac if I didn't know _why_ he was smiling. Of course he was glad that his wife and only son made it off the cruise to safety. However, it hurt to see him smile. A smile was meant for carefree times, times of joy and happiness. He shouldn't have been smiling when he was on a cruise sinking toward his death. Which meant that he didn't really care about his own safety, as long that his family was safe.

"I wonder why people aren't leaving with their Pokémon," May said, pulling my attention away from Harley. Glancing around at the people clinging to the rails near us, I realized May was right. Only moments before, I'd seen people evacuating on their large, flying and water type Pokémon. "Wait. Hold up. Why aren't _we_ leaving with our own Pokémon?"

I considered May's words, but then shook my head. "No offense, but your Pokémon are useless right now. None of them can swim or fly but Wartortle and Beautifly, and neither of them are strong enough to carry a whole person to land. And they aren't in good shape at the moment, either."

"And yours?"

"I don't have any that could... Wait, you're right." How had I forgotten my trusty Pokémon who had flown me out of so many obstacles? Suddenly, it felt as though the weight of the pokeballs in my back pocket increased. "I don't even know how I forgot about Flygon..."

"Well it's a good thing we did remember!" May said, grinning up at me like a sweet puppy finally getting a treat. "Now we can go back home! You and me, we could go and start a journey together. Maybe we can even-"

"I'm glad you have so many fantasies about our future, but stop for one second," I said, placing a finger on her lips. Her cheeks turned bright pink and she opened her mouth to argue, but she stayed silent when I raised my eyebrows. "First of all, I hate to admit this but even my amazing Flygon isn't strong enough to carry three fully grown people all the way to safety. That's right, May. I said _three _people. As much as he's a pain in the ass, we can't just leave Harley."

We both turned to look at Harley, who was still smiling out at the ocean like he hadn't heard a word we said. May sighed. "You're right. I think we can both agree that Harley needs to get his butt of the cruise back to his family-"

"And that neither of us would be able to live our lives if we left him here," I finished. Suddenly, I felt the cruise start to tip faster than it had before. The end of the cruise where we were was starting to tilt upward. The young girl must have realized this too, because she suddenly burst into heavy sobs. She clung on to what must have been her older brother, who looked like he was still in his preteen years.

"Drew." My name was all May needed to say for our eyes to meet to come to a silent agreement. Reaching into my pocket, I pulled out one of my pokeballs. The smooth surface felt warm in my palm, as though it was the Pokémon inside of it. I threw it up into the air like I'd done so many times before.

"Hey bud," I said, rubbing Flygon's forehead. A rumbling sound of content came from his throat as he pushed his head against my hand for more petting. A look of confusion washed over his face when I pulled my hand away from him. "Look Flygon... I need you to be obedient like you've been since we became partners. You need to take Harley and those two crying kids over there to safety. Without May and I."

"What!?" It seemed that Harley was finally conscious of the conversation May and I were having. Bewildered, he almost lost his grip on the railing keeping him from falling. "I get why you let Solidad and Charlie go, but me? You guys are crazy!"

I was about to snap back that Harley was the one who needed to get his brain checked, but May didn't give me the chance. Hurriedly, she explained why it would be more sensible for Harley and the two children to go opposed to ourselves. At first, Harley seemed against all words that came spilling out of May's mouth. But by the end of her explanation, he was only slightly hesitant of leaving.

"Charlie needs you," I told Harley once May was done. "Take Flygon, and the rest of our pokeballs. Roserade needs some care since she's injured. Once she's taken care of, explain to all our Pokémon what happened."

"And our families," May added. She handed both of our pokeballs to Harley. "We'll probably get home safe, but..."

"Right," Harley finished. He climbed onto Flygon's back, carefully making sure he had all of our pokeballs safely in his possession. Flygon flew over to the two children we'd seen earlier, and I watched as Harley helped them climb onto my Pokémon's back. Before leaving, Flygon flew toward us for the last time. Harley smiled. "Well, it was an honor watching romance finally spark between you guys. Have a bon voyage!"

Before we could say any last words, Flygon flew away, Harley's hysterical laughter fading off into the distance.

* * *

><p><strong>May POV.<strong>

Who knew that one night could bring so many good byes.

Only minutes after Harley had left with Flygon, the cruise really began to go under. The other half of the cruise was completely submerged. People were scrambling to get higher and away from the water, but some weren't so lucky. More than a few people went tumbling down the deck straight into the water. There were even some that figured it would be safer to jump before we got too high.

Drew and I followed the crowd trying to get distance from the icy waters. Every step and climb was a dangerous one. If people weren't fighting for survival, maybe it wouldn't have been so dangerous. They were careless of others' safety, shoving aside anything that got in their way. Unfortunately, I was often the obstacle in their way. Drew seemed to notice this too, because he wrapped an arm around my waist for extra support.

After what seemed like forever, we got to the highest part we could possibly reach. My heart shattered when I looked down. The boat was sinking at an 75 degree angle. But that wasn't what really hit me. It was the number of people that didn't make it all the way up. Over half of the hundreds that had been with us earlier were in the waters, grasping anything they could do stay afloat. Another portion of the people were hanging on to lower parts of the cruise, and only a handful of people were up at the top like Drew and I. So many lives lost, so many lives about to be lost.

I was partly to blame.

"You're beautiful, you know." The timing of his words was strangely perfect. With one hand gripping onto a railing for support, he used the other the tuck a strand of my hair behind my ear.

I broke down. The night's events finally crashed down on me. Tears of anger, fear and sorrow drained out of my eyes. But I didn't feel like an idiot for crying in front of Drew because he understood the most. It was like he knew exactly what I needed. So instead of offering meaningless phrases like "everything will be okay", he pulled in me close to his body.

Drew held me tightly as he promised to never let go.

* * *

><p>YAY HUNGRYHIPPO1000 FOR THE FASTER UPDATE :D!<p>

I want to thank all of your sweet reviews, seriously. They actually make me feel proud of my story, and I'm not usually a person who has much pride in anything I do. It gives me a reason to keep writing for those times that I feel like dumping this account.

Also, if you would like to sort of see what the cruise would look like sinking, YouTube "sinking cruise simulator", and you should see a bunch of sinking cruises. Of course, different cruises will sink differently depending on different sorts of things, but I based mine on the titanic. I'm sorry if any of my sinking cruise explanation was confusing. I knew what it looked like in my head, but I _found difficulty writing it_.

My guess is that there will be just one chapter after this, unless you want me to add another "bonus" one. I'll decide later!

Leave a review :)


	13. Finale

_Recap: Charlie, Solidad and Harley made it safely off the cruise. Harley left using Drew's Flygon, along with two children and Drew and May's Pokémon. Drew and May stayed on the sinking cruise. At the end of the chapter, the two coordinators and clinging on to the top of the cruise (the other end was being dragged down in the water), Drew holding May tightly with his body promising not to let go._

* * *

><p><strong>Drew POV.<strong>

I should have listened to Solidad earlier. She had always told me not to let my pride get in the way of my emotions, but I'd ignored her. I figured it looked _weak _to be in love. But holding May as she cried while sinking toward my death, I'd never felt stronger.

"Looks like the tippin's stopped," a middle aged man pointed out beside me. Tearing my attention off of May, I realized he was right. The cruise was no longer tilting, and instead was being dragged down into the ocean. We were getting closer and closer to the water. "I ain't wanna be one of those people down there. I bet it's chillin'."

Cold water wasn't the only problem. None of us had any idea how far we were from land, and we had absolutely no idea how quickly help would come our way.

"Look Drew," May whimpered. She was staring sadly down below us, where dozens of people were barely clinging on. We saw a couple more people splashing into the water. "If I had just stopped Domino earlier, maybe they could have been on vacation. Maybe they could have gone to go meet family and friends. Maybe nobody would have died."

She looked like her lost ten year old self. She was always blaming herself for all of her losses, insisting that she was the one to blame. May never admit it out loud, but I'd seen her drowning in her own guilt so many times. To make things worse, she was always too stubborn to let anyone show her that it really _wasn't _her fault.

"We won't get anything by blaming ourselves. If it's your fault, how is it not mine? We're all to blame equally May, don't put all that pressure on yourself," I told her. I decided it was better changing the subject. "We've got other things to worry about right now. We're on a cruise together. Isn't that lovely?"

"If you consider sinking lovely, then yes, it is lovely," May replied, the corners of her lips tugging slightly upward. But a sudden jerk of the cruise caused her expression to grim again. "We're only about five meters away from the water now."

"Four now," I murmured. I gripped May's hand tightly. Her hand was cold, just as mine were. "Let's jump in."

"Jump?" she asked. Her cerulean eyes reflected her fear. "Why would we do that?"

"Because I don't want to say I was dragged down," I told her. When I noticed she didn't quite understand my reasoning, I let out a long, exaggerated sigh. "Call me crazy, but I feel like jumping would be like choosing my own path instead of letting the cruise decide for me. If this is the last decision of my life, I'd rather make it on my own."

"You are crazy," May replied. To my surprise, she grinned. "Let's do this, together. Three?"

"Two."

"One!"

Fingers intertwined, we sprung off the cruise and dove into the ocean.

* * *

><p><strong>May POV.<strong>

Chilly doesn't even cover half of how freezing the water was. It was like jumping into an ice cream cone, except the salty water didn't taste nearly as appetizing.

"Damn it," Drew said, shaking his head like a wet dog. He ran his hand through his soaked hair. It lay flat on his head, much unlike his usual messy style. He shuddered. "My hair is wet. I hate how my hair looks when it's wet."

"Well obviously it's wet. We're in the ocean!" It was so like Drew to care about his hair when we were stuck in the middle of the ocean.

Out of the corner of my eye I spotted an unoccupied crate floating on gently on water's surface. I started swimming toward it, slowly as it was hard to swim in a dress, but got passed by Drew when he noticed where I was swimming to. He grinned when I got there after him.

"Ah, beat you again didn't I?" he teased. I rewarded him with a splash in the face. He flashed a big smile before scooting over to give me room on the crate.

It was a rectangular wooden crate about a centimeter high and a meter long. As I tried shifting my weight on it, the crate flipped over and tipped Drew off. After multiple attempts, we found it was no use to try to fit both of us on.

"Get on, May," he said. I tried to argue, but Drew was too stubborn to listen. "We'll switch in an hour."

"We better," I scowled as I climbed on. Drew held on, only some his upper body out of the water. He pointed to the cruise, which was almost completely under. We watched complete silence as every last bit was pulled into the sea. The whole time, I could not help but think of the Captain, Alyssa, and Absol and their dead bodies sinking with the once grand Cruise Dragonair. Drew must have been having the same thoughts too, because I saw him mouth his loved Pokémon's name just as the cruise was no longer in our site.

"May, I need to apologize," Drew finally said, breaking our silence. Confused, I asked him what for. He looked away before he spoke. "For earlier tonight. Yelling at you. I shouldn't have gotten jealous over the Ash thing. It's your personal life. Not my business."

"Drew, I love Ash as a mentor or an older brother. Like how you love Solidad," I told him. I needed him to know that Ash did mean a lot to me, just not in the way that it had appeared to Drew. "And I'm sorry, too. I should have told you how I really felt, instead of giving you weird mixed signals. I was just so scared you didn't love me back. I just-"

And then he kissed me. For the second time in one night. It was a beautiful kiss. The kiss in the ballroom had been beautiful too, but this one did not even compare. Something about being near death must have changed my desperate need to keep his cold, saltwater tasting lips on mine.

When we finally broke apart, I couldn't do anything but pant and stare at Drew. In the moonlight, his features glowed.

I studied his eyes which were obviously studying mine. Whereas I would have usually looked away in embarrassment, I kept my eyes locked on his in fear that it would be my last chance. I noticed his emerald eyes were extra bright in the moonlight. I then moved my gaze to the rest of his face. A work of art. His pointed chin leading to a perfect jaw line. Wet green hair that looked natural on him, though it was a hair color nobody else could pull off. Overall, a flawless figure.

And he was all mine.

"You know," I said. I shifted weight on the wooden crate so I wouldn't fall off. "I don't think I've ever told you this, but you're really something, you know."

"What?" I told him why I loved his physical appearance. The more I told him, the more he smirked. When I finished, he said, "I knew all that already. I'm fabulous. But that's just it? You only love me for my looks?"

"No!"

"Then?"

"Well... There are so many reasons," I mumbled. Blood was rushing up to my cheeks, and I hoped that Drew didn't notice. Like always, his smirk told me he did indeed notice. "I hate how you're cocky. I hate how you aggravate me. I hate how you're so full of yourself."

"Those are the reasons you hate me," Drew said, rolling his eyes. I pretended he hadn't said a word.

"I hate how even though you make me want to rip out my hair, I still love you," I told him. For some reason, my voice was getting quieter by the second."I love the way you show your true self. The way you put anything ahead of yourself, despite how much you act on the outside. The way you constantly tease me because I'm the one you feel most comfortable around. I love the roses you give me, the way they speak the words you don't really say out loud. I love the way that when you're with me, you're really you. I love the way that you guide me when I'm lost. Without you, I don't know where I'd be."

Drew was speechless. Finally after all these years, I had been able to shock Drew.

"Well I guess it's my turn," he said when he finally recovered. "Well I'm sure a thousand guys have already told you this, but you're beautiful."

"Actually, you're the only one," I admitted. "Other than my dad, and that doesn't count."

"Seriously? Well then, you better believe me," he said, smiling shyly. It was adorable. Drew never smiled like that. "Your glowing sapphire eyes, your chocolaty brown hair. The way your face lights up when something excites you, such as when I walk into the room-"

"Lies!"

"But your face does light up every time I give you a compliment or a rose." He did have a point there. "I love how you're the kindest damn thing on Earth. You give everyone a chance, even a guy like me. You broke my hate-the-world shell. You opened my eyes, May. Without you, I might not have any idea what I was living for. I'd probably be destroying people at contests, wondering what my purpose is."

For what felt like forever, we just held hands talking about our memories. How terrible I had first been at coordinating, how I had finally defeated him. Or the time we had been saved by Wynauts. There were just so many things to talk about. We were talking for so long I'd almost forgotten that Drew was still in the icy waters.

He looked pale. Even with the moonlight, he looked unnaturally pale. His blue lips were quivering, and his grip on my hand was weakening.

"Drew, maybe we should switch up," I said. He shook his head, refusing to do anything but keep me on the crate where it was drier. "You look ill."

"I'm fine, it's just the lighting," he said, and I noticed his breathing was shallow. It was not a good sign. I tried to get off the crate to allow him his turn, but he stopped me from doing so. "Can you tell me you love me again?"

"What for?"

He closed his eyes. "I want to imagine we're somewhere else. Maybe back in La Rousse. I want to pretend we're in the rose garden I've always wanted to show you."

"I love you, Drew."

"Thank you."

I let him have his moment of imagination. Then, I would force him onto the crate.

But it appeared I didn't need to.

"Hey look!" a young lady cried. She hung was clinging onto a crate much smaller than mine. She pointed off to a distance where I saw a light nearing toward us. "Help is coming!"

The source of light got closer and closer and I noticed many speedboats zooming toward us. I shook Drew, whose eyes were still closed. "Help's on the way, Drew!"

No response.

"Drew?"

Not a muscle of his body moved. He stayed silent. I tried again.

"Drew, we're going home!"

But he still did not respond.

_No way._ This could not be true. My minds was playing tricks on me, I was sure of it

But even as I slapped his face, no part of him responded back.

"N-no! Don't die on me yet, no Drew," I begged. I was so shocked I could not cry. I felt his pulse, and felt that his heart was beating slowly. He was alive, but nearing death. "No Drew! Hold on a bit tighter, we're going get help. We'll go to that rose garden, to La Rousse. Stay with me, Drew! Please... You need to show me that rose garden, Drew... Drew..."

"We're here to take you to safety, miss," a man's voice spoke. I was so absorbed by Drew's condition I hadn't noticed the emergency crew's arrival. Around us, many other survivors were climbing into the speedboats. Unfortunately, not everyone had made it.

But Drew was not going to be one of the unfortunate. I was not going to let him go that easily.

The emergency people helped guide me onto their boat, along with Drew. One of the medical people accompanying us on the boat neared toward me. I held unconscious Drew protectively as the doctor examined Drew. His eyes widened in fear. "This boy is in a life or death situation! He needs hospital attention! Hurry! I cannot do anything to save him until we get him to the hospital!"

I lost control.

I screamed. I swore. Every part of me was pulled apart. People around me tried to comfort me with their words, but I did not hear anything they said. Eventually, some people had to force me down. When they did, I began to cry.

All I could think about was losing Drew.

When we finally made it to land, everything went by in a blur. They rushed Drew away to the emergency room. I tried to follow, but my energy was limited. I crumbled to the floor, weeping.

"Get up, sweetie," a nurse said softly. I allowed her to pull me up and hand me a pair of sweatpants and a hoodie. "These aren't much, but they're better than your wet dress. Go get changed and drink some soup with the others."

"Drew..." was all I could say. The nurse sighed.

"He will be okay, now that he's being taken care of. When he wakes up, he'll want to see that you're okay, too. Now off you go! I'll call you over when he's okay."

After changing and drinking soup, I sat in total agony.

Waiting.

Waiting.

And more waiting.

Eventually, people around me from the cruise had begun to leave. They had contacted their family members and were being taken back to where they came from. A young man offered to take me home, which was on the way to his, but I declined his request. Along with a few others, I was not going to leave until I knew that Drew was going to be okay.

Before I knew it, a whole day had passed. The hospital's silence was getting to me, unlike the pitiful stares of the nurses which I had gotten used to. The same nurse from before was the only one who had bothered to check on me, but her busy schedule left me alone.

Every minute in the waiting room I would get more anxious. Staring at the clock became a habit, and my hopes skyrocketing every time a doctor or nurse passed by also became common.

Until finally, the nurse returned to me, a smile finally on her face.

"You can go see that boy-" the nurse had started to say. Jumping up from the chair, I hurried down the hall to his room. I knocked over something along the way, but I did not care to pick it up.

_I'm coming, Drew. You're not slipping away from me again._

_Not now, not never._

After what felt like miles, I arrive in front of Drew's room. With my heart pounding against my chest so hard I was surprised my ribs weren't broken, I placed a hand on the cold metal doorknob. Taking a deep breath, I pulled the door open and pushed myself into the room.

Everything was white. The bed, the walls, the curtains, and the furniture. Even the natural lighting from the windows was white. The only thing with a splash of color was Drew, whose hair stood out in the blank room.

Like the rest of the room, he was silent. His eyes were closed, but unlike before, I knew he was only asleep by the way color had returned to his skin. The moving of his chest also showed that yes, he was very alive and breathing. He looked young in his sleep. Nothing on his face, no smirk nor sneer, but peace.

I sat myself in the chair beside him. I lifted a hand to pat his shoulder, but thought otherwise. I was to let him sleep. But watching him sleep and hearing his soft breathing, my eyes slowly gave in.

My eyes fluttered open when I felt something wrapped around me. Rubbing my eyes, I noticed that the light in the room had grown darker than before. I must have been asleep for longer than I had expected.

"Sorry." I looked up to see Drew off his bed, smiling apologetically. He held the corners of a blanket that was draped on my shoulders. "I didn't mean to wake you up, I just wanted to give you the blanket so that-"

Before he could continue, I leaped up and embraced him into a bear hug. Taken by surprise, Drew lost his balance and fell onto his bed, me falling on top of him. Our faces were only in inches apart, my hair forming a curtain around our faces. Smirking, Drew closed the space between us with a kiss.

I don't know how long we laid there on the bed, doing nothing but cuddling. Human interaction without any verbal communication is one of the most beautiful things, I realized. Especially when it was with someone you loved. _Especially _when that loved one was Drew.

"May?"

I smiled at the sound of his voice saying my name. "Yes?"

"You know how I asked you to tell me you loved me so I could imagine us in the rose garden?" I nodded, remembering the moment he almost died in the ice cold water. Drew shifted himself so he was lying flat on his back. "I did imagine us there. You were wearing a white gown. I was wearing a tuxedo, looking like the fine gentleman I am. I saw your dad walk you down the aisle..."

I don't know what was cuter; Drew's thoughts, or Drew's face as he told his dream. His face was pink from embarrassment. I smiled and said, "Go on."

"You walked down the aisle, in that white gown, and I couldn't believe my eyes when you stopped in front of me. Your smile was so big, the biggest smile I'd ever seen," he said, sighing with content. "It was the best dream I've ever had."

"Too bad it was only a dream."

"Well, maybe one day it won't be a dream anymore," Drew said, grinning. He rolled over so that he was over me, carefully balancing himself so his full weight wasn't on top of me. "Maybe it'll be a reality."

"Maybe it will," I agreed, pulling him into a kiss.

Maybe one day we would get married together in the rose garden, like Drew had dreamed of. Maybe we would have children. Maybe the children would listen to the stories of how their mother and father fell in love on Cruise Dragonair. Maybe once the children grew older, Drew and I would live happily together like those happy old couples, doing nothing but sipping tea while watching the warm sunset glow.

But in that moment with Drew in the hospital, I could not think of the past nor the future. Finally, for the first time in my life, I was sure everything was going to better.

And sure enough, it did. All thanks to one green haired man who smirked way too often for his own good.

The End.

* * *

><p>AND THAT'S IT, PEOPLE!<p>

Thanks to all the readers and followers for reading this story! But most of all, thank you to the people who left reviews. If I didn't receive any good feedback, I might have not continued this story at all. Seriously guys, if you read a story that you like, review! Just an "I liked..." or a "Great story!" is really encouraging to the author to continue writing, and I personally try to review every story I read at least once (for some, I review every chapter!)

Speaking of reviews, I was reading them yesterday and noticed I played with a lot of your feelings. Woopsie daisies ^^. Especially chapters with cliffhangers. I left lots of cliffhangers ._.

I didn't even notice that I'd been writing (with long breaks, of course) this story for over a year until ochazuke pointed it out to me! I can't believe you all had the patience to wait so long for the updates!

I've got half of the bonus chapter written, but I'm not sure if I should post it. I sort of like the way I ended it here. I'll leave the story complete, but it I get enough people telling me they actually want the bonus chapter I'll post it.

I hope you enjoyed reading as much as I have enjoyed writing! I LOVE YOU ALL.

PS - I have made another account for Harry Potter and Percy Jackson and the Olympians called **saltedcaramel**


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